The music industry might be embracing digital and online technology, but Prince is not convinced that it’s a good thing.

"The Internet's completely over,” Prince told British tabloid publication, The Mirror, in his first newspaper interview in 10 years. “I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it.”

Prince is currently set to release his latest album, “20Ten,” for free through various European print media, including the Daily Mirror and its Scottish affiliate, the Daily Record. Fans can snag their copy this Saturday via the different press outlets, but you they certainly won’t find any of the new material online.

Prince has banned both YouTube and iTunes from using his music, calling the web obsolete.

“The Internet's like MTV,” he told the Mirror. “At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

Plans for a “20Ten” in the States haven’t been announced. What do you think, is Prince on the verge smart new alternative for releasing albums or does his approach seem misguided?

soundoff(1,007 Responses)

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I don't view it wrong for Musicians to make SOME money but they need to realize they can't make an ENTIRE living out of it at the expense of others. Making or remixing music in new styles is fun for the side such as to relive strees and make new friends but making music was never meant to subsitute for steady jobs which are declineing because of stupid policies scaring businesses into going overseas. I am NOT bashing any particular government but what they are doing so far so far is NOT producing good results.

In all the major countries now
You CANNOT even make something as simple as shoes or shoe-strings anymore and I wonder what will happen when the older more knowledgeable people die off as this new generation becomes lazy expecting free handouts from their respective government and we have a real disaster when the government can't provide for long term.

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I agree. Though, like MTV, there will still be people using it, I think the internet in general and social networking in particular is one big Myspace...i.e. an abandoned amusement park with only die hard 140,000+ post uber members and the odd 11 year old or 89 year old 'stray' that's just now getting connected. By the way, anyone read 'The Shallows'? :D

When it comes to music the industry and Prince are dead
you see I can contact my friends whom have his music and get
it from them by email and by fax and many other ways; yet why
I hate that the internet is dead is when you type a search and someone
has put the wrong tag information together and then you have to sift through
bad connects and wrong issues; I was looking for Keyanna Moore and got
all this MySpace junk and that's not what I was looking for and then I figured
just put in a few letters and got the bang of my life. So no He is wrong the Internet
is not Dead you just have to know how to search and get your friends involve you get what
you want cause you ask!!!!!!!!!!

As with anything Prince does, the irony of this statement is dazzling: artist declares the Internet obsolete, releases his album through a network of dead tree newspapers and magazines. It's not a retreat, it's a tactical withdrawl...unless, as I suspect, it's a publicity stunt to jumpstart a flagging career.

I think Prince has a point. But the reality is that people often discover new music on line since radio is often sterile. But as far as sales, he is definitely on to something. I am a huge Billy Idol fan and yet I don't own a single CD or DVD of his. I feel that it's not necessary to physically own anything as Billy Idol's music will always be a part of my collective music memory. This is great for me, but it really doesn't help Billy Idol's bottom line or his record company for that matter. I believe this is what Prince and others object to in the era of the mass communication reality of the internet.

Honestly I dunno why you people support theses Artist in the first place, There all idiots You give them money they go out and spend it on Drugs, And stupid stuff.
If I were one of theses Artist I'd donate a good percent of my money to the needy, There are tons of people in this world who have lost everything since the Job Market is down look at Florida it is the highest rate of Unemployment out there and theses artist are crying they got more money then I will ever have in my life.

They have no ideal what it is like to live in this world there are people worse off then me that wonder if they will even be having dinner tonight.

Theses guys eat up places blowing $3 grand on a meal that could feed alot of people in my town.

I dont feel bad for stealing there music and you dang right I steal there music waste $20 bucks on a CD that will end up getting damaged anyways.

15-20 dollars for a CD with only 10-12 tracks are as much as a movie! And the funny thing is the cost of making the CD is real cheap due to virtual keyboard technology but we need to be able to make music being happy to sell it only local.

What's going to be the reaction when we have an EMP go off or a major solar flare frying most of the technology to send music long distance and we have to rely on making our own music locally? You won't be able to go out and buy CD's or tapes anymore. (do they still even make cassettes?)

Prince is nothing but a self-centered, narcissistic, self righteous waste of oxygen. I wish someone would officially declare him over. I don't care if what his views are on copyrights, to make the statement that the internet is a fad only shows how truly shallow and stupid he really is.

I'm surprised at all of the hate toward this living musical legend.
In terms of all of the comments about his "relevance"... He was the top grossing tour of 2004. He played 21 shows at the O2 Arena in London... sold out every show.
This is a man who plays his heart out for nearly 3 hours, then goes off to a smaller venue immediately after, and plays an aftershow.
Prince is a favourite among the following guitar players:
Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Steve Vai
Jimmy Page

He has influenced countless bands and artists.

We has always been a maverick, and defender of Art and Artist's rights.

He is not anywhere near "ignorant", "out of touch", etc, but is in fact, quite brilliant.

He's also right, to a certain degree, about the internet not being a viable vehicle for artists to be successful. Prince wasn't speaking of math when he said "...filling our heads with numbers...". He was referring to 1s and 0s. He has no problem with math and numbers. He's very adept with them, in fact.

So what we see here is a lot of baseless hate toward someone who is not easy to understand.

Reading these posts, it's like folks are actually angry and offended... defensive even!

By the way... the Internet has gone from being a destination to a utility. Think about it.

Of course, the fun part is the "back to the caves" mentality: "...They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you." - I suppose that instead, blithe ignorance is best. Robert A. Heinlein made the point properly: "Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best, he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear his shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house."

Once again, it's all about the money. I'm sure Mr. Prince already has more money than most of us posting will see in our lifetimes.

I think his album should be bought the old fashioned way...Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy. If he should decide to change his mine (and I hope he does for his fans' sake), you should be able to download it for a fee appropriate to what it would cost if you actually bought the CD in the first place.

The JW did cross my mind. But that should be irrelevant because I'm sure Catholic artists would feel the same...to a point.

Every body has there opinion, and if this is what Prince feels who are we to judge him, that's between him and his God.Personally I think he is a genious of music along with all other talented artists. Give the man a break, he does not have to be stupid just because he made a comment as such. That's what's wrong with the world today we comment on people's thoughts and opinions and we are quick to decare them stupid, ignorant and all other things. Live your life to the best of yu ability and leet other people live their lives.

Whether you love Prince or hate him, saying that he is a "has-been" is a highly uneducated statement. Prince could stay home and never work again and still have more of a career than most entertainers alive. Saying that he is washed up is like saying Bob Dylan is washed up for not having a hit single out. If you think Prince isn't making money or that he wont continue to you really have no clue at all. This is just fact, not opinion.

I have always liked Prices music, but if his shirt style is a clue as to what he has to offer music wise, I am a bit concerned. That shirt is soooo lame. Who would wear their own face on the night of receiving his life time award?
Pompous, and arrogant is not flattering. Wish Prince had paid tribute to MJJ.

@ALLEN BLACKBURN,Lucky For Your And My Generation,The Over 40-Club, That We Remember The Unmistakable-Unforgettable Music Genre Of The 1960s,1970s,1980s,and For The Most Part The Early Part of The 1990s,. The Late Great BARRY WHITE Once Stated Just Shortly Before His Transition or Re-Birthing Back To Infinity That The MUSIC Of That Era Will Never Be Duplicated,.It Can Be Remixed,Reproduced,Rewritten etc etc,But It Will Never Have The Essence Of The ORIGINAL,Not Quite Anyways,. There Are A Few Contemporary Artists Out There Though Who Can Take You Back There Sometimes, ALICIA KEYES, ERYKAH BADU, MUSIQUE SOULCHILDE, MAXWELL, CHRISSETE MICHELLE, LEELA JAMES, Most Definitively JILL SCOTT, MARY J. BLIGE, ANTHONY HAMILTON, ROBIN THICKE, LAURYN HILL, NEO, JENNIFER HUDSON, RAPHAEL SADIQQ, JILL JONES, DUFFY, AMY WINEHOUSE, etc etc,and a few others whose names escape me at the present moment,.But You Catch My Drift I Am Sure Anyway. Thanks For Your Pointed Viewpoint! Peace To All!

Prince is a marketing genius. He doesn't believe the internet is over. He just said that to get free publicity, and boy has he got it. This blog post has more comments than anything I've seen on the web this week.

As a mathematician, I'm not very pleased by Prince's assessment that filling your head with numbers is a bad thing.

As a nerd, I find his assessment of the Internet as a dead medium to be well off the mark. Television's still going strong after 60 years–why should the Internet just suddenly die after far less time than that?

Once again,with more feelings,I have always loved the Music of Prince,or The Artist Formerly Known As Prince,whatever,The Internet is most definitively not Dead people,so lets' be for real,the Government and your average NewsMediaCo.,or conglomerate maybe planning some sort of Public Execution for the Internet,but until that comes too whatever fruition,. the Internet Me-Thinks is here too stay,. Ultimately Evolving, see; Devolving back too what it was Originally,Our/Your Infinite MINDS! Peace & Bless!

I have always loved the Music of Prince,or The Artist Formerly Known As Prince,whatever,The Internet is most definitively not Dead people,so lets' be for real,the Government and your average NewsMediaCo.,or conglomerate maybe planning some sort of Public Execution for the Internet,but until that comes too whatever fruition,. The Internet Me-Thinks is here too stay,Ultimately Evolving/Devolving back too what it was Originally,Our/Your Infinite MINDS! Peace & Bless!

For people to think "I thought Prince was dead" you are a true idiot.
To believe the comment that the internet is dead literally, you are a true idiot.
Prince is explaining that an artist can no longer make a profit from labels or the internet because of piracy.
Whether you like Prince or not, he is one of the best musicians of all time. The man is music and no one can take that from him. Some people just say ignorant things because they are uninformed and uneducated. Free your minds from the shackles.

I love prince and i can't wait to see what he has next. I think these comments are ironic because a few years ago he released a CD only on the internet. You had to buy it online. He at one time embraces the internet, but I guess to hime it is passe...what next?

On the topic of the internet's relevance and the comparison to MTV. I think Prince is wrong to label the act of sharing as a flash in the pan. Whether you agree or disagree about the internet, the ability to share so many ideas so rapidly... I mean, I think everyone here can tell an interesting story about how you met someone that you wouldn't have otherwise, or got on the path to learning something new via the internet. I think it's undeniable, and the comparison is ridiculous. I believe Prince knows this. He is a smart guy, who gets a lot of things that many of us don't. Even if you don't care for him, you've got to appreciate that he is a prolific creator.

He's basically doing what he's always done, making negotiations with distribution channels. I think he doesn't understand that one spurious comment like this makes him look like the grumpy old man that he railed against in his panty-wearing youth. He could alienate a lot of younger people. The danger for Prince isn't his shelf life, his music is pretty doggone timeless. I mean, he wrote 1999 in 1981. The danger is that more people will be given to laughing AT him, as opposed to with him, and he will lose social relevance.

But the thing is, we have projections on how many people will be using the internet in 2013, and they're probably fairly accurate, because most of the expansion will occur as people in the 2nd and 3rd worlds adapt. There is a lot more growth to come, and a lot of newer types of combined media on the horizon. I don't know about everyone else here, but I'm excited about it. It's great to see such diversity of opinions in one place. Socrates might have enjoyed this thread, except for the insults, which he might regard as a waste of time.

I believe this is all a big misunderstanding. The word 'dead' is not used by Prince. He said 'obsolete'. And the internet IS obsolete-as far as profit goes for established artists. MTV used to sell records for artists. It too is now obsolete for that purpose, also. OK Go has some of the most exciting and innovative videos around and it has meant very little in terms of album sales, whereas the buzz about Michael Jackson’s and Dire Straits’ videos translated into huge sales for them in the 80’s. Used to be, if you had a good video your song could get on the radio or your album would sale. That’s no longer true.
Rap artist, Drake, got a deal from giving away his work. Other NEW artists get attention on YouTube, but as a profit center there is little hope on the internet for popular artists who get paid 'per download'. Their work just gets jacked and put into free torrents. Therefore, any artist with a brain is looking for the label to make an investment in established sellers. Labels take the risk and the bulk of the profits you generate for yourself and I get paid for my work. YOU are in the business of sales, not the artist, so YOU should be taking the bulk of the risks when it comes to sales. Prince was simply pointing out this fact.

Interent is not dead, just backed up with lots of garbage. There are more lies and BS than fact, just trying to do a search on anything. I often said a good radio station game would be give us a everyday word which will be put into a search engine and to win the first 10 links can NOT be adultsites. (that would be so hard)
By the ways most performers make there real money fro doing shows not album sales

Prince is going against the trend in technology, sooner his obsolescence will reach his head and coming generations will only know him as Prince or "The Prince" a medieval political theory. Ha...ha...ha..ha....

Hmmmm let's see, Prince says from the blog "Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you." What's the name of his new release – 20ten???????

Unfortunately, it won't take long for someone who buys the new CD to rip it and throw it on Limewire or torrents. I just know I won't be caught dead doing that. According to the RIAA, (google it if you don't know what that is) the MINIMUM fine for downloading illegal music online is $750 PER TUNE. $15 for 10 or 12 songs is sure money better spent than $10,000....and throw in some prison time too if you're so lucky. Plus, he IS an artist and artists devote their lives to their work and deserve to be paid. He has earned this right to guard his livelihood.

Most people have to work every single day. You may have had good production yesterday, but you have to prove yourself everyday, there is no "carry-over credit" from yesterday to today. Even if you had a really great productive day yesterday, this morning you are starting at zero.
Unless you are a modern-day "artist". Once recording was invented, artists could just have a workday here and there and then spend the rest of your life trying to milk that for everything it is worth (That's why drop-outs and neer-do-wells become "artists", because it is a profession that eschews labor.) However, that *brief* period of exploitation is gone, the Internet dissolved those control structures from the early days of recording tech, and now artists are actually back to having to work every day. And they are not happy about it.
I would love to stay and sympathize about their plight, but I gotta go to work. Maybe Prince should do the same.

The Internet has changed the game for the entertainment industry. Hundreds of years ago, and artist required a wealthy benefactor to support them. Concerts and/or plays were the only method of 'distribution' and artists got paid. If artists want to continue making 'art' as their main source of income, we will need to return to the concert/play as the primary source of 'distribution'. Otherwise, once it goes digital, it goes for free. The industry, not the Internet, needs to change.

Hey he just figures, if he has to give his music away, why should he help these websites profit from his property! The internet has successfully managed to *&%$ over most musicians out there with music and video piracy. I am enjoying the knowledge that itunes and youtube are B*&^%ING that an artist won't let them take advantage of him.

I'm not saying Prince isn't a brilliant artist – there's no question that he is definitely that – but he should stick to making music instead of public statements that demonstrate he has clearly lost touch with reality. To say "the internet is dead" is like saying "the air is redundant"; it's just verbal diarrhea and should be ignored.
Anyone who wears a shirt with an image of himself right on the front has definitely got his head stuck so far up his own a$$ that when he speaks, all this crap falls out, so anyone paying any attention to anything this guy has to say is as ignorant as he is.
There's an old saying, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." Well, Prince, you just proved yourself to be the biggest fool EVER!

Musicians like Frank Zappa told other musicians that MTV would end up hurting artists more than helping them. That is correct. Seeing a video of a performance once kills the viewers imagination so much than it weakens interest. Without interest the artist can not make money. Prince a champion of great imagination has balls and common sense. If he isn't going to make money off the internet the way it is he can just say no. There are other ways for him to make money from his music. The internet will sell his CDs and he can have his own web site for complete control over downloading.

This is one of the more insane things I've heard in a while. Has Prince been living in a cave for the past decade? By shunning the Internet he's basically begging for people to take his CD, upload the tracks to file sharing sites, and distribute his work for free across the Internet. Honest people will buy songs they like off iTunes if the money is right (99 cents). Make it hard (or simply inconvenient) to buy music, however, and people will steal it.

Prince is nuts! He's living in a fantasy land where he is the center of the universe. He makes good music but that hardly makes him intelligent. although i do agree with him wanting to get paid for his work.

i miss the old MTV videos. wish they played them more often. it did get old after a while but i missed them just the same when they were no longer played. Prince is a freak. i understand not wanting to deal on line...people will trade his music for free...but, i dont see the internet going anywhere. it may be that we all end up with more of a tv/ internet type setup....but, too easy to get info to ever see the internet being a thing of the past. change...yes...gone,no. is it prince or the formerly known 80's dude wanting some of the gaga traiN/

Article is proof the internet breeds idiots too. I have no idea what he's doing here but calling prince irrelevant is furthest from the truth. More talent than your everyday artist, Lady Gimmick Gaga. He's been at the point where he can call his own shots, do whatever he wants, say what he wants. In short, the man has it made.

As far as the advance part is concerned....normally I think what would happen in the past is he would negotiate to a record label to get (say) $2M up front to give them the rights to put out his CD and also get something like 7 cents/song. Right now iTunes takes 30% and the record label (or in his case himself) get the other 70% to split with the artist. What he doesn't like is he wants the $2M and the 70% which he is not going to get. Maybe he wanted to try getting an upfront from iTunes and less percent.

The way it works now is you get payed what you sell. And if you put out crap you don't get payed. Sounds fair to me.

Prince is right. Why should he give his music to iTunes? I don't understand why some people are so slavishly loyal to iTunes; it's a private company that has come to monopolize digital music sales, and feels it can dictate to artists. Plus, the sound on mp3's stinks compared to analog formats and even CDs. I feel sorry for people who only know music through the internet. They don't know what good sound is. The internet has made music more convenient to buy, but it has hurt sound quality, and it destroyed the art of the album. I think many underground bands are now discovering that you don't need the internet to reach people; they would be lost on iTunes. There's something to be said for selling your tapes, LPs and CDs at a table at a show. Or if you're Prince giving the music away for free, and relying on tours to generate money (and audience connection). I think Prince is right.

I'm a big Prince fan, got every album/CD up till Come, but this is ridiculous... did he also tell the whipper-snappers to get off his lawn before he calls the cops? If the Internet is so old news then why is his newer music still for sale on iTunes and Amazon? If he removes it I'll take his stance seriously, but he won't cuz it's all money.

Prince is a genius. He is also one of the best guitarists alive. For those of you who "thought he was dead" or "over", ask yourself if your favorite currently popular band could sell out an arena the size of the Pepsi Center or another mega venue. Prince "gives away" his albums, (often by tying them to concert ticket sales) because he knows that people will pay 80 or 100 bucks to see him play live...because he's amazing live and hires the absolute best to play with him. Prince is clever. The stunt involving the change of his name to a symbol was a way out of a lopsided record contract. He changed his name back to Prince (which is the name his mama gave him) as soon as Warner Brothers no longer had any rights to that name. What he's saying about the internet is that it is past its heyday...people will move on once the realize it is mostly just a waste of time. Music has been around since the dawn of man, the internet has only been around for a short while, and it will soon be replaced by another form of technology. As for the people who think he's dead, at 52, Prince can still do a split while playing a blazing guitar solo and can play 16 different instruments extremely well. What can you do?

K. Ross is absolutely dead on. Prince is a genius musician, talent, creative artist who has always been on the
cutting edge and before his time. If he says the internet is dead...he's just a visionary and knows what he is
talking about. Maybe its not dead today but I'm sure that Prince will be correct. I'd pay a lot of money to see
Prince in concert and I'm going to find a copy of the Daily Mirror and get a copy of 20Ten for free.

My first thought, after reading this, was to find this album and pirate it... just to show Prince I could ..but then I realized what he's done is genius. He wants us to download his music and by saying what he has, he's created publicity for it. Well played sir. Well played....

Yes, he was receiving a lifetime achievment award...from BET! So, the internet is dead, MTV is dead but BET is an acceptable forum for music? What quality music videos are we going to see on that channel tonight? We've got One on One, Everybody Hates Chris, The Mo'Nique show...need I continue? I get it, this is his career and he needs to make money from it, we all get that. But don't say the internet and MTV are dead just because they don't pay for your music, that only makes you look ignorant. Just say you don't want to distribute or share your music via those outlets and leave it at that.

I think he is a bit of base, but I understand his point. No the internet isn't going away, but it is very cliche'. It's really quite boring and played out in many ways. Between the internet and cell phones life is forever changed from what it was 15 years ago, and in many ways not for the better. I get his point. By the way, the guy is a super-talent.

Prince is one of the most talented and commercially successful pop musicians of the last thirty years, producing ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career.
Prince founded his own recording studio and label, writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. {He's master 27 instruments so far.} In addition, Prince has been a "talent promoter" for the careers of Sheila E, Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, and has written songs for these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, Madonna, and Sinéad O'Connor), many of which have become hits, making him one of the most successful artists in recent music history.

Prince has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award.
Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible. In that same year Rolling Stone ranked Prince #28 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine named Prince as the highest-earning musician in the world, with an annual income of $56.5 million.
Prince ranked 40 among The Top 100 Celebrities In 2005.
2007, the "Earth Tour" included 21 nights at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena. The dates at the O2 Arena were increased to 15 nights after all 140,000 tickets for the original seven sold out in just 20 minutes. [It was further extended to 21 nights to meet demand.]
Prince was also listed in Time Magazine's 2010 annual ranking of the 100 Most Influential People In The World.
Prince received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 BET Awards.
February 4, 2010, Billboard.com ranked Prince's performance as the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.
Prince has sold, in his career of more than three decades, about 100 million records worldwide.

Dayum – makes me wish I was this 'irrelevant', 'stupid', and 'over' ...

In summary of all comments: Prince is crazy | The internet is not dead | You would have not known Prince was still alive had you not read it here; online | Prince is still alive | Prince is crazy | Prince is crazy | Prince mysteriously has a lot of money | Prince is still alive ~ fin ~

It's interesting that Prince also predicted that MTV and CD's were obsolete and that the internet was going to be the next big thing. That actually happened. People called him crazy and stupid at the time. The same holds true when people prodicted that tapes, 8 track, and CD's would become obsolete.

Musicians today are losing a lot of money today because of the internet. All of us right now could download pretty much any music we wanted to. The way for musicians to make money is to tour. So really what he is saying makes sense. Give away your music (people will steal it anyway), and then tour. Musicians like Prince make millions doing that.

For the record, Prince is 100 times better than Michael Jackson. Michael could not play a musical instrument; Prince plays them all. He put out much more music than Michael in his career and he's not done. Prince's wikipedia page has the largest list of accomplishments I've ever seen, it's astounding!

So glad that someone pointed out that Prince has an oscar, golden globe, several grammys and is in the rock -n- roll hall of fame. Recently, he received BET's lifetime award and is on the July issue of Ebony magazine. Prince was raised in the music business with his father being a musician and his mother a singer. I am sure he heard plenty of stories growing up and now he is trying to protect his intellectual property. Helo, if you create something, you should be paid. That's the American way. So, keep on being u, there are many of us who appreciate the creativity and the pureness of your voice. Peace.........

I agree with Prince. Computers are boring and people are forgetting how to interact. It's killed music: now every talentless computer geek has a band and fills the net with music and videos. Way too much garbage to wade through to find the good stuff.

Prince forgot to mention that he is also releasing his first single on 10 inch vinyl at 78 rpm. He's also reviving the long dead 8-track as he sees that medium as far more enticing and portable versus a chip that can hold thousands of songs. Apple will be going out of business in a couple years too.

From a purely audiophile, and listening perspective, mp3's suck and you know it. Listening to the older analog technologies may not be practical, but you can't beat the sound quality. Do a search on recording, and you will see that many artist and studios are constantly seeking ways to bring back "The old" sound".

The rest of this article, in it's entirety, is positioning for negotiations. He wants his money. He won't get his money. He is going to take his ball and go home (i.e. no one gets to make money) if he doesn't get paid.

I wish him luck. From all I have heard, Steve Jobs is cheap. There is no way he is going to give one artist an advance, especially when it will lead to other artists demanding one.

"He is brilliant! He's using the internet to MARKET his new album without letting itunes have it for free! Now that's new-age thinking! "

I think hes expressed that he hates the internet.Funny that he is useing internet now to market it on this page.

For the itunes they dont pay in lump sums to the people who make the music they pay a perctage of the money the make on the music over weeks.They dont know if its a hit or a drop in a pan so thats how itunes pays there providers.

Prince is right!!!!!! The Majors stick so much, they want to slave your abity to make music, sale music. Indipendents don't have a chance so we turn to utude/iTunes because it's free so it seems. What do you do? No one should be owned just get his work out there to the public, the industry is all jacked up including American radio.

Right now we are useing the internet to read this so that should show that the internet is not dead.

He's a washed up hippie thats trying to start a movement but no one cares but the press.
He needs to get of he's drugs to see that no one cares what he thinks but the press of course.
The press is the only thing feeding him something to go on even when its nothing to go on.

Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles. He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the FIRST YEAR he was eligible. I don't think Prince could ever be, "washed-up". So funny to hear you say it though.

Hey prince why don't you just go to your new jeohova witness congregation and sut the hell up I dont like your new music anymore and by the way you can down load your new watch tower magasine and jeohova witness songs from watchtower.com

I agree with Prince that artists should control their own works -organic music takes years to create and develop. Kids should be taught how to discern what good music is and that only comes through a thorough musical education."The internet is dead?" -that's a bit like saying "computers are over" -I know Prince is a musical genius but I'm going to have to beg to differ there -although he certainly got everyone using his name again didn't he? ;) The internet will only go from strength to strength -with the development of 3D and IPV4 "the internet" is set to morph with terrestrial TV and hand held devices and (dare I say it) enrich our media experiences. One of the brilliant things about this will be increased interactivity between "the media" and "the audience" -that's evident already. No doubt releasing through a newspaper is lucrative for Prince -right now. I'm glad to see the press taking more interest in music (one of the reasons people have stopped buying papers is that they generally don't invest in the musical/cultural interests of their readership. I think that "newspapers" will become more like multimedia channels in the future. I'm glad that Prince has a new release -he's a genuine artist.

Prince isn't stupid!!! He's a savvy businessman. He wants to get paid for the results of (the music) of his phenomenal talent. Prince isn't just dreaming about writing great songs. He's doing it. Prince continues to amaze. With him, we know capitalism isn't dead!!!

If an artist doesn't want to sell their music online, that's certainly their choice, but they will lose money with that decision from people like myself who ONLY buy music online. I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a physical CD, and likely wouldn't buy nearly as much music as I do if I had to pay $13-$16 per CD rather than $8 for the same number of digital songs.

There are many bands who are actually doing just the opposite of Prince and only releasing digital music. It's actually more profitable for them because of lower production and distribution costs than a physical CD, and also more eco-friendly.

Lower production and distribution costs from digital sales will not only yield higher margins for artists and labels, but also allows for the lower price. Making the music more affordable makes it more appealing to actually buy more, which again means higher revenue for the labels/artists.

Digital sales are the wave of the future. In the next 10-20 years, digital sales of all media types will quickly replace physical copies, and those not willing to adapt will be left in the dust.

There are a lot of similarities between the this and the ill-fated catalog retailers like Best and Wards, who also failed to adapt to the changing market trends of the internet. They too thought the internet would just be a fad and didn't realize it was actually replacing their type of business... and look at the result for them.

He is brilliant! He's using the internet to MARKET his new album without letting itunes have it for free! Now that's new-age thinking! And by the way, many of the negative comments out of the 814 so far, probably had negative things to say about MJ! And he IS making money even though he's dead!!

He got one thing right: CD sales are no way for a musician to make money. He's smart to release it for free via newspapers. It'll build a lot of hype to sell tickets to his upcoming tour. And he knows that within 24 hours of people getting the CD with their newspapers it'll be available for free in multiple formats at hundreds of bittorrent sites anyway. Why continue to fight the unsuccessful fight to make money selling CDs? More musicians need to give up that idea altogether and do just like Prince: give the recording away, focus on making money via gigs.

But calling the internet "dead" is just silly. Let's see how well his tour sells with no online promotion.....

In psychology what the former-pop-star-known-as-Prince is doing is called "projecting." Perhaps he can't accept the fact that he's the obsolete one? Bet he breathed a sigh of relief last year when Michael Jackson died- not that Jackson's death helped revive his own career.

He is complete out of the reality. I think he should retire instead says that internet is obsolete. Obsolete is going into a store to buy a disk, that perhaps could have sold out, or perhaps you can not find it.
The computer network is the future, otherwise we would still be sending letters each other or changing disks personally.... ahahhahaha what a joke this guy.
Perhaps he doesn't know what is internet....

Prince may not be right about the internet but I commend him for trying to do something different with his music. At least he isn’t sitting around waiting on music biz executives to tell him how to act, sing, and distribute his music. The problem in a nutshell is that the music industry itself is dead, or at least it will be in a few more years because their out- dated business model has not keep up with the times. The internet is not this issue its people not waiting to pay for the music they say they love so much......

Would love to see Prince release 20Ten – on vinyl only.
And play concerts where ticketmaster couldn't sell the tickets.
Guess it's hard to avoid organized crime, though, and ticketmaster and the music recording industry are all that.

Yeah Prince the Internet is dead (wink wink). In fact this article was not published on the internet (wink wink). These people commenting are not on the internet (wink wink)...BTW, In case you did not know...I'm being sarcastic...MORON!!

pssssssstt Prince.... BTW = "By The Way" it short term for use on the internet

no one ever said he wasn't the best selling artist of the decade...I simply don't know...however, my statement was around earnings in 2004....by the way, best selling does not mean earned the most money....cash is king or in this case prince....

Success is measured in many ways. How many Oscars has Prince won? I've sold more, made more, won more Grammys, more of many other awards, even an Oscar. Prince: 7 Grammys. Me (Eminem): 11 Grammys. Take that, fruity-tooty Symbol-boy.

Prince, you're a musical genius, but you're wrong about the internet. The internet, and specifically, iTunes, has been GREAT for the music industry and the environment as well. BILLIONS of songs sold for 99 cents a piece with zero packaging, zero non-biodegradable plastic CDs and jewel cases, zero paper. Sounds like a pretty good deal for everyone involved.

I'm sorry, Ken, but I disagree with you on this one. As someone who works in the music business, I have seen this firsthand for several years now. iTunes has been great ... for Apple. But it has not been good for record labels and certainly not for artists. In case you missed it, music sales are way down; even digital sales have now plateaued. In theory, the democratic nature of the internet is artist-friendly (and certainly ecologically friendly), but the trouble is that it's a very crowded marketplace and people expect to get music for free now. Artists have unlimited distribution now, but no real way to leverage their art except for touring.

George Bush was past his prime and yet people still elected him....no wonder we are in a slump! The music Prince makes is an acquired taste and if you do not like...you do not have to listen. I know every time he has performed in concert here in my home town...he sold out the show. And we are talking about the Superdome.

Who cares what Prince thinks about the Internet? Funny how a past-his-prime, over-the-hill singer can stir up so much debate on a technology subject he likely knows very little about – I wonder what Sylvester Stallone thinks of modern day telecommunications.....

Prince is smart man...a lot of you so called businessmen can learn a lot from him. He and only a few others own the rights to his own music. He has never been a big fan of technology and all that other stuff. He is a humble person, that is why you rarely hear about him in the news. Would you people say these things about him if he was getting arrested at the World Cup for pot, or if he was attending a probation hearing? Nope! I didn't think so. Prince is an American music ICON..do you have any idea how many times his music has been sample or reproduced? He can go the rest of his life and not make another album and still be far beyond where some of you are financially. Do you honestly think he cares about what you think of him? Again, NOPE! That us why you are on here reading about him and he is out there actually living what you can only dream of.

Get real. The internet has lower barriers to entry and cost of distribution than any medium in history. It is more democratic and accessible than any other means of sharing and selling music.

The bad old days, for which grandpa Prince is so nostalgic, positively SUCKED for small bands and listeners alike. There are still problems (such as the horrible RIAA), but at least the medium isn't one of them.

Prince's genius is undisputed by anyone with a clue about contemporary music, and his dazzling and unparalleled body of work dwarfs the accomplishments of any of his contemporaries. That's not hyperbole, that's fact. Much of his frustration with the methods of the music industry stem directly from the inability of a rigid marketing machine to adequately deal with the imperatives of the true Artist.

However, like most geniuses, Prince is prone to sometimes making puzzling and even outright nonsensical statements. This is, uh...one of those times.

Ok...Prince or "Symbol" or whatever his name is this week, IS a talented artist. Now, having said that, He is still dead wrong and anyone who disagrees should, by default, not even be reading this. ......BECAUSE ITS ON THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!

Well, given how things are, someone will rip the CD and make the music available, online, for free, probably via torrents. WTG, Prince. You will not get a dime on royalties from those songs illegally uploaded online ... then again, this is just another marketing ploy.

"They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you" How is this for some numbers, Prince? When does 2+2=$7500? When you have one friend on a social network chatting with another friend on a social network about the latest and greatest music cd coming out and they each have 250 contacts and if each of them purchase that cd at say...$15 each. And that is simplified economics. Don't get me how it would actually help the small business owners of America, the mom & pop music stores still selling vinyl.
Yeah, idiot, I can see how that would not be good for you and your career...especially if the music stinks.
If anything; Prince is so past tense!

The Internet is not dead but it is sucking the life out of people and they are becoming dead inside. I'm so sick of watching people staring at screens all day, including walking down the street...Prince is simply telling you of the deadness he perceives which is sadly true. I love the Internet but it needs to be put into its place and not take the place of real interaction, live music, live dialog, internal dialog...it's all so convenient and lazy now. Musicians aren't even real either, just a bunch of phony posers with digital geniuses to make them sound good...cut the power and you'll hear a bunch of sonic weenies.

"I'm so sick of watching people staring at screens all day, including walking down the street...Prince is simply telling you of the deadness he perceives which is sadly true. I love the Internet but it needs to be put into its place and not take the place of real interaction, live music, live dialog, internal dialog...it's all so convenient and lazy now."

Agreed. It's a bit sad. As much as communication has become better and easier, socially we've become worse at it. I cancelled my Internet service at home last year. I did it to purposely remove the convenience and make it something I have to do in a social setting, like an Internet cafe. It has it's place, but it's no replacement for actually participating in society.

Ironic that he says "They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you." because his album is called "20Ten" or maybe he is a genius and is playing with everyones mind...he is an artisist after all...are you thinking like an artist

While the internet is not dead, and it will not die, it will, however, evolve, as it has already.

I do agree that "Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

It took generations after the printing press was created to realize it's possibilities and societal impact, and then adapt to use it in the most effective and positive way possible. The same is true of the telegraph and telephone. And of the internet. There are very negative affects which we haven't realized the complete breadth and depth of.

A trend to consider - the faster that communication became, the more the concept of community has changed. Once upon a time, people in an apartment building together knew each other and interacted with each other. Now, many people spend more time socializing with people who live far away and lead very different lives. The concept of community is no longer limited to citizens in a locale. Positive side: broadened exposure and therefore increased acceptance of people who once would have been considered outsiders. Down side: the US's political system only minimally rewards a minority movement unless that minority in some areas is a local majority, in which case their agenda becomes the local agenda.

What other negative affects exist in our technology, and what trends will it create which we don't even have an inkling of right now?

The printing press and the cotton gin are perhaps the two most important society-shaping inventions ever - the printing press was the world's first accurate, fast communication device; the cotton gin was the harbinger of a new era of manufacturing. These two concepts merged in the telephone and then in the internet. (The telegraph, unlike the telephone was never a household item.) The legacy affects of these machines is still being felt today. What legacy will the internet have?

Think about copyright law alone. Before the printing press, it was not an issue - few could own a copy of a book or song because the price to replicate a written work was so extremely high. Then technology created a true market for copies of written works. Copyright laws as they currently exist function well when production of duplicates of a work is relatively centralized and has a notable, but non-prohibitive cost. Current technology to duplicate written and recorded works is common. Our current copyright/royalty system was not created within the framework of current technology; it is a deprecated, archaic, legacy system. In many ways, the industry that the printing press created is being dismantled by computers. While there may long be a niche market for the printed word and hard-copies of music and movies, the bottom line is that record companies, movie labels, and publishing house now excess fat that the creative community is carrying around.

It is time to think outside the box, to realize what our new technological environment allows, and then develop a new paradigm more suited to it. The same goes for our current economic and political systems.

Using technology to better our lives involves accepting that our world has changed, and reconsidering our problems with a new point of view.

Funny how far he's come from "Free the Music." If Prince doesn't want his music sold because he's not being paid up front, then he's making music for the wrong reason and he has betrayed everything he preached about in the 90's. He's a greedy, selfish, phoney. And when he's not complaining about how much money he's missing out on, he's testifying about how close he's gotten to God. Good grief.

If something becomes obsolete, it's an idication a new trend of technology has taken over. It doesn't die, it evolves. I think Prince is a genuis but he failed on this assessment. Erotic City became Airport City....whooosh over his head.

I've never posted on any site regarding any story or article that I've read but I just couldn't help it when I came across this drivel. The internet is a medium...just like radio, television and newspaper. MTV is a television network. That is like comparing apples to...well...a pencil. Moronic, idiotic and misinformed.

First of all, numbers are a universal language, so they are good in our heads whether he likes it or not. He should really try using the internet like iTunes to advertise his album. It's where the world is with music. It sounds to me like he's trying to set a new music industry trend.

If your name has anything to do with your age, WMesser58, you are showing it. Prince- although I don't follow his music, nor am a loyal fan- has been both a visionary and timeless artist, and continues to tiptoe on the edge of uncertainty. So far his stuff has worked for him. I have to agree with him on the internet thing- it has grown saturated with crap and wannabes- and to most everyone- mundane. There is more appreciation for live than wired music. To me, it is no different than trying to capture on a flat screen liquid quartz monitor the chroma and focus from works by Rembrandt, Picasso or Monet -in person ... He has something here- above all, if this concept sticks, this will be a boon for musicians...

Are you kidding me? Seems like half the people on here think Prince is dead! He is alive and well, my friends–eccentric, yes. Stupid? No. He has given a public radio station in his hometown of Minneapolis exclusive airplay to two of his newest songs, and people all over the world are still finding a way to listen to them. He is a genuine, talented musician.

Took the words right out of the mouth. I think he migh bet modeling this after the current, our little public radio station that may be single handedly saving radio. Keeping his work out of the hands of large corporations and still allowing people who want it, to get a hold of it.

Look – the record release was not getting any publicity at all – so SAY SOMETHING ignorant and stupid and THE PRESS will be all over it. Now look how much attention he is getting. He plays the tabloids as well as he plays guitar – which is pretty good.

Netflix predicts DVD rentals will be completely replaced by Internet downloads within the next 15 years. PC makers are producing low maintenance PC's to plug directly into televisions so people can browse more easily from their couches. It might be best for the artist who was formerly known as some squiggly line to consider that the Internet is still in it's toddler stage.

Anybody stop to think that what he means is that the internet is a dead form of distribution? And he's right. As man who makes ALBUMS,and wants to sell ALBUMS, the internet's overwhelming bias toward the single has rendered it obsolete for his use. And for all of those of you that thought he was dead, you clearly dont know enough about music to even comment.

But with the younger gen that's just akin bashing your head against the wall. Kids know enough to know what they like and he did dis their realm. My 2 daughters have no clue whatever the hell it calls itself is. Plain and simple. The arguement or is it argument that this is a publicity stunt doesn't wash either, if you know kids and trends it's for sure they will shun the blaspheme.

What a dumb statement from an 80s relic. His best stuff was decades ago and we can all get that music for free from our friends via CD sharing. But what a dumb, DUMB, statement by a completly irrelevant artist who still thinks its 1984, apparently.

Huh... yeah, the Internet and all gadgets just fill your head with numbers, and that can't be a good thing. HUH?! He doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. The internet's a medium. period.Just like any of those in the past, only much faster, which leans to much more creative uses of it. Obviously, he's never used it. I mean, we could compare electronic music to the pure wind instruments. why not. same argument, really. Sad to say, Prince is of an aging, disconnected generation. sad, just sad.

Yeah, pretty much all planetary communications are happening over the Internet these days, but why don't we believe a washed up musician over the biggest telecom companies in the world and say the Internet is dead.

Wow. The internet has become the primary method of information exchange and we will only become more and more dependent upon it. The telephone has evolved into an internet device, televisions are becomming internet devices, gaming stations are streaming movies and the like via the internet, but the internet is dead? I understand he wants to be paid for his work, who doesn't? However, he seems to dwell in the same world that many artists have throughout history and that world doesn't allow room for the "real" world to enter. I know people who say that if they had never laid eyes on this man they would swear he was a blond bimbo straight out of a 60's movie.

I haven't bought a Prince album in over 20 years. When I asked my 12th grade summer school students today if they knew who Prince was, they replied, Michael Jackson's son. Pretty much says it all.

I'd like to know who Prince thinks are actually buying his records, and I'd like to see the sales numbers to back it up, which, as long as HE is releasing his own music we only ahve his word to accept, so he can't really prove that many people are buying his music.

If Prince were to tour today it would be on the "oldies circuit." He's outdated and outmoded. He's old and irrelvant.

Prince I think is far from dead, he produces and still as heard here "making records". I do disagree that the internet is dead based on the fact that we are reading this on here. He is just over everyone making money off of him and not seeing much of anything from it. But although he is doing this "free" record thing, believe me he is making money off of it, as he should. I work in the Audio recording field and I can tell you just how dishearting it is when you go to release a record only to fing it had been leaked on to the internet and has allready been downloaded 839678367928376 times for free before being mastered or anything. So I think most bigger Artists out there are all hoping that the internet marketing will slowly die out. I personaly still love a record store and a solid object to take home to listen to

Prince, I love your work. I had my butt whipped because your music wasn't allowed in my home growing up. So I took those whippings because I love/loved your message. I am requesting that you hold an interview and talk to your fans and I don't mean fanatics, your fans that love had have always loved your work! Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Prince was a rather large Icon against Censorship! In 2007 Prince encouraged the Internet saying [knowledge of internet is a must] and now because he cannot control it like he could the raido stations, Prince is now wanting to lash out against his fan's and in my opinion this is a VITAL MISTAKE on his part. I hope Prince will understand that the internet is just an "ELABORATE" version of the raido but now with video, Just as we used our recorders to ff, rwd and stop buttons on our raido's to create our own tapes of his music, I wish he could see that youtube is the new raido and our computers are the new recorders. I have loved his music for over half my life and because of youtube our new generation can know the Prince the way we once knew him. Prince broke mental boundries, his was the epitome of self expression. Prince thru his music taught us to embrace our individuality and not be like the sheep of corporate America. Has Prince become what he was once against???? If Prince is concerned about MONEY than he needs to start producing hits again. I'll give Prince some money to buy a DIRTY MIND! No I wouldn't I, love you just the way you are. If it wasn't for youtube this younger generation wouldn't even know his name today! In greek mythology a dead god is a forgotten god. With out youtube he will be forgotten!

Prince was one of the first to make multipmedia CDs. He had CDs with extra content for computers. He's always seemed to be a step or two ahead over everyone else. I wonder if he is again or if he's just wrong this time.

Say what you will about Prince and it appears that those who "mock" him for his comments know very little. He is still one of only a very few, perhaps only one of two besides Sir Paul McCartney and to be sure you know who that is; the bass player for a little foursome known as the Beatles. Sir Paul and Prince I believe are still the only two to EVER write, compose, arrange, record AND PLAY EVERY SINGLE instruments on their debut solo albums; ever. Now while acts like Rhianna, the Jonas Brothers are having to cancel tour dates, Price would easily sell out every date he played around the world. Like it or not he is a genius and whether or not one agrees with his Internet comment, he is the real deal. He need not have a legion of people to do what so little do these days, write and play music. A musician that actually entertains.

I DON'T THINK HIS IDEA IS STUPID AT ALL REALLY... HE IS ACTUALLY DOING WHAT OTHER ARTISTS SHOULD BE DOING.. ALTHOUGH I LOVE DOWNLOADING AND PREVIEWING MUSIC BEFORE ITS RELEASED..THERE IS A CERTAIN EAGERNESS THAT I JUST TO HAVE BACK IN THE DAY..WHERE YOU GO OUT AND BUY THE ALBUM WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT.. BRILLIANT IDEA PRINCE...

You should read the rest of the interview and other interviews, especially the Ebony Magazine interview which is completely crazy. Lot's of contradictions, lots of unnecessary mystery...

Prince bases this view on several things:

– Prince is a full on Jehovah's Witness. Every decision he makes, creatively, personally, business is guided by "scripture".

– Every album he's released for the last 10 years or so in essence has been a Jehovah Witness Rock/Funk/R&B album veiled with Prince stylings, nothing else. As such, he knows he can't sell records to a mass audience with such messages and views. Record companies would question his lyrical content, as a "free" artist he can sing whatever he wants, which is all Jehovah Witness beliefs.

– Prince's last internet website to promote his 2009 album was a failure. He managed to take $77 membership fee, not deliver a T-Shirt that was going to go along with that, and that price all it got you was a fancy website, the SAME songs in various formats that you would of gotten in the $12 CD and carefully chosen Jehovah Witness approved videos that took forever, excuse me, 4ever to load.

– Prince has a record of not appreciating his fan base. Treating them like criminals or infringers.

In response to "I thought he was dead", "he's stupid", "his career is dead", etc:
1. There's no way you would have missed that news flash had he died. Next to MJ who is already gone, I can't think of a bigger artist that's still around.
2. To judge a person as "stupid" based on a short article whose source material is a tabloid publication's interview is, well, short-sighted at best. For those of you saying that the internet will "never" be obsolete, please remember that the only constant thing is change. There was once a time when people thought dirigibles were going to be the standard method of air transport but we all see what happened with that.
3. His career is far from dead. The Recording Association of America (RIAA) has Prince's sales at 39.5 million units certified, the 36th-best total of all-time. His London concert series summer 2007 sold out in 20 minutes. Since 1991 alone Nielsen SoundScan counts 19.9 million albums sold. There is of course no way to track how many times his music has been shared through P2P programs, bootleg album sales and the like.

I sincerely hope print and other tangible media never dies. There's something to be said about holding a book, magazine, newspaper, or even a CD/vinyl/8-track/cassette in one's hands. There's nothing wrong with bucking the trend. That is something Prince has always done. Aside from showing that you have original thought in your brain, it creates publicity. Something that this article has clearly done. Prince – 1, Naysayers – 0

I can think of a dozen bands and groups that are much more influential and relevant than the age old dinosaur of the former "artist" known as Prince. He was barely relevant back in the day, now he's an afterthought to any real musical talent. He thinks much more of himself than any other fan or person does. He's a legend in his own mind, to the rest of us, he's a washed up has been.

Prince is NOW selling albums not to fans 4 life like U but to corporations. Prince was receiving Webby Awards when he was embracing the internet as part of his freedom, but now after the Lotusflower didn't give him any profits, only problems since the internet changed from 10 years ago, which is not a long time, Prince suddenly says its all over and dead. That numbers are bad for your brain when he's calculated each dollar or profit of each 2 Oten CD he's sold to publications.

Again, NOT YOU, the FAM but print publications, he's already sold millions without selling to the general public and fams4ever like U.

Wow, what in the world happened to this guy?
I totally forgot about him. He looks so old now. Has he even made any music since the 80's? Did he retire or something? He should do Celeb Apprent. to get his career on track again or maybe Dancing with the Stars.

What has he done since the 80's? He's sold 20 million records since 1990 and sold out most major arenas in America and Europe, that's why people print what he says about music (whether he's full of merde or not). Prince has gotten very, very rich proving that LIVE MUSIC is still what sells songs, not simply the internet. And he may be a bit smarter about the music biz than the average comment board writer, he does after all own his own record company.

And to all the people saying he is just unhappy about how the internet pays him for his music, yes he is saying that but he also said "the internet is completely over" and compared it to MTV in that it has become that obsolete. yes the money issue is what is between the lines, but he also seems to have no clue when it comes to media in the 21st century.

Prince was the first major recording artist to release an entire album online and have a significant online fan-base. Now he thinks online distribution is dead? What's gone is the old record company business model of 3-CD development deals, huge advances, guaranteed gold/platinum units shipped, etc. Prince has been making news the last 20 years by giving away his CDs at concerts and in newspapers and magazines – a practice that has hurt the record stores and helped advance the trend to legal downloading as the primary means of profitable music distribution. Furthermore, he's only released one great CD since "Diamonds & Pearls" in 1991 – "3121" in 2006. Padding your CDs with a lot of disposable music only encourages the public to buy singles, which are best distributed online by sites like I Tunes. I wish he'd concentrate his enormous talent on making a few good songs every couple of years, and stop releasing multiple CD sets shipped by the ton to Target that are loaded with musical filler.

I feel like Prnce has been flying under the radar for some time; I'm not sure that he fully understands the changes that have happen in the past 2-3 years. He will make money, but will he make it at the rate as any other super star. Maybe he feels that he would not gain anything by connecting with his fan via social media; or better sill sell as many downloads.

He may be kooky, but he's crazy like a fox. The dude's a creative genius and a very shrewd marketer. I don't know that I agree with him that the internet is "dead," but I think he's brilliant for finding a way to not get ripped off by the way digital media treats musicians nowadays. Good for him!

I say he should go eight track and forget all that new fangled stuff called technology. Next you'll hear them talking about 3-D TV. I can't wait to see how he makes a killing giving it a way free from the printed press. It DOESN'T exist anymore and he's only showing how little he knows about, well anything. Hell, after purple rain didn't he move to Montana :-)

Do any of you even know why he changed his name? Or why he is against itunes or internet music? Why don't you get the facts first....post second!!! You name me ONE mainstream artist who is signed to a label and owns his own masters. Name one...you can't. You can't because music labels own the rights to an artists music (and likeness for that matter) that is created while they are under contract. You can't write for anyone else, you can't produce for anyone else, you can't sing on anyone else's album, unless you get permission from your label AND they are compensated. So again...Prince is ahead of the curve. Some of you people are MORONS!!!!

Really he owns all of his own Masters?? Wow, except just the opposite therein. It's the sole reason behind his name change back in the day was so he could own his own music. Everything before the name change is owned by a music studio that he doesn't have any stake in.. Congrats on proving what a moron you truly are.

all of you people who want to congratulate Prince for creating his own publicity and buzz are stupid. It wont pay the bills for his little wind up dolls and weirdo stuff like michael jackson had. both of them should kiss like modanna and britney, but they probably did.

Let's face it. You're a kid with issues, living at home with your mother and father who probably don't pay enough attention to you. You probably don't have many friends, so you spend your time online writing stupid comments in response to other people. If you did have friends, they are probably just as juvenile and incompetent as you... probably passing time by making fart jokes and talking about the latest Pokemon episode on TV. You think your insults hurt or make a point but the only thing it does it make you look dumber. You continue to respond to the same threads to defend yourself because leaving the argument would make you seem like a "wimp." You don't have a job because you're probably not old enough. You sit there with whatever "pride" you have behind your computer and talk out of your behind...

Your insults probably either make you feel better or are just a sign that you are an angry little boy. It's okay... I would be just like you if I found I was an accident child like you. You got your 15 seconds of attention, now begone.

You realize that, compared to humans, foxes are not very smart...? If so, then I would agree: Prince is as smart as a fox. Or a bear. Or a Rabbit. Or any other woodland creature that's less intelligent than Corky (Life Goes On) on his best day.

I'm 43 yrs old and I totally disagree with Prince. I still remember the days of B&W TV, rotary phones, 8 track tapes, and the first computer Pong games. The internet has revolutionized the world, communications, and music industry. I I used to be a dj in my younger days. How many dj's today carry arround vinly records? This is about Prince wanting to be paid based on the old "business" methodology of the music and recording industry – just look at the decline in music stores and the growth of digital music. He has to wake up and realize that the old business model is dead and gone – along with the old profit structures. The internet is here to stay and I personally LOVE IT!

Prince is so stupid, no wonder he cant play the guitar worth a horse tird. I think he needs to go back an nurse his mom's mikl spout, the little freak boy from that feak state. Jesse Ventrua set the high mark tone there for stupidity.

I hate to be the one who says it but... F Prince. I haven't listened to anything he's made since Diamonds and Pearls and that was 1991. He was amazing for his time like the Rolling Stones and that's more than enough to stand behind. His take on the future of music is like listening to Grandpa describe his email... cute and worth a smile, but totally irrelevant. If anything, the Internet is going to HELP artist maintain artist integrity as it evolves more and more. Revenue models need to be worked on, sure, but the architecture is there and not going anywhere until a nuke resets the clock.

I don't think I have seen so many people worked up about something so quickly. He sure pushed your buttons. He has a history of that. When he does release his album, here in the U.S., where the real money is, it will do very well compared to some of his more recent releases as a result of this manipulation.

Glad this article was on the obsolete web or I would not have seen it. Sounds like Prince is one of those old timers who is not going to change with the times. Heck, I even watch internet TV at my convenience. I don't have the patience for regular program scheduling. Give me netflix and my Roku any day. If a song isn't available on Itunes, I don't have it on my Ipod. I don't have time for hunting all over the place. It is either easy to get on web, or not worth my time. I get news, movies, tunes, books on the web and I like it that way. I live in a digital world and I love it! I have not purchased a physical cd in years. Digital is much easier to carry around. Good luck with your CD or vinyl record Prince, I won't be purchasing it.

You people are so stupid it amazes me. He never said the whole internet was dead as in the communication aspect of it and such. If you go back and read the article, if you can really read, he insinuates that the internet model used by the music industry such as iTunes and the like is dead. Many places such as iTunes are making money off the artists' backs by doing nothing but distributing the music these artists make. By going about it in a different way, artists can make money and not have to line the pockets of chumps such as Steve Jobs. The man is just trying to get paid for his work. Everybody here would want to do the same thing if they were artists and if you say you woudn't mind someone else getting rich off your hard work, I'm calling you a liar.

That is Prince's quote. You can hope and wish it meant something deeper, but that's pure speculation. He didn't say "The internet is a bad, unprofitable way to distribute music as an artist" .... He said that ultimately moronic statement above. Period. You do not have the authority to read more into his/her/its words beyond what is presented.

Medvedev "visited the headquarters of Twitters," during his stay in the United States this week and opened an account. "I have one as well, so we may be able to finally throw away those red phones that have been sitting around for so long."

music overall is in a weird place atm, a lot of people believe that the major labels will soon collapse, and the internet is all we really will have too really distribute it anymore it seems (in my opinion) but i think hes mostly worried about the money, which will also undoubtedly change if the major labels fall apart, something of a old dinosaur, contracts written in the 50s or 60s possibly even earlier basically still in use today(if anything used as a template).... its no secret record labels have screwed over many a musician, but the thing now is artists have too be able too front a lot of the money themselves (mini at home recording studios and such) and i dont think anyone has come up with a great way of distributing music online in which the artist gets paid, in this day and age we assume when you see someone on tv (like in a reality show for instance, or struggling artist on conan/ leno) you assume they have lots of money probably not the case (least ways not 100% of the time) so they dont feel they have too pay the artist or that illeagally downloading/ "stealing" their music is okay. i think things will undoubtedly change within the next few years and i hope its not for the worse.

Prince, man, feel however you want about the Internet–I could care less, but tell me please, why did you choose to only release it in European newspapers? America has newspapers. This hurts man. It hurts right here *pointing to my heart*

Amazing comments about his IQ and his significance! The guy was smart enough to figure out how to have over $100 million...how much do you have???? Think about that next time you comment on someone's IQ.....not that money is a measure of IQ but he was smart enough to figure out something that you couldn't do!

It will only take a few seconds for his music to end up on the internet (before the "Daily" publications even hit newsstands), so i'll just download it off the internet anyways for free rather than actually give Prince any of my money. Same with AC/DC, Kid Rock, and all the other technophobes.

Soooo..... when you release your "Incredible album" next week, you idiot.... you know right where it is going to go? Straight to the "Dead" internet.... and every free music downloading website on the planet.... wow you have become more of an idiot over the years... there is a reason i use the muisicology cd under the leg of my table....

Whether you like his music or not, you have to agree that this was one amazing marketing strategy. Would an article that simply announced "Prince has a new album" have gotten your attention? Bravo, purple genius.

Prince looks all goofy in his picture. I did like the world better without the internet but I think it's here to stay. Hopefully one day you'll be able to turn it on insstantly without all that boot-up time.

...Great comments – the best part about Prince's statement is this: HE GOT THE ATTENTION HE WANTED. He is smarter than many believe – any PRESS good or bad – if theire is enough of it – propels his name (or sign thingy)...

Panthera Leo: washed up from the 80s????? In 2004, Prince was the highest earning entertainer...$55+ million....how much did you make? Who's washed up in the new millenium.?................if that's washed up then everyone posting to this story is washed and there points are irrelevant too!
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Prince crowned 'top music earner'Feb 9, 2005 ... Prince earned more

What is irrelevant are most of the comments here as are the people that make them. The internet has been a horrible medium for nameless/faceless people to sit behind their keyboard and write negative, trashy things. Most people don't care about your opinions just like many of you won't care about mine. There is little creative thinking anymore because people pick and choose reading and opinions that match their own narrow views. There goes true journalism that looks at both sides of issues and reports objectively to help people form good opinions. People come in to a view with their opinions already formed instead of the other way around. It will be a sad day when we lose newspapers and good reporting. Instead people are getting news with Twitter, little sound bites and Facebook. Twitter is such an accurate acronym for the twits that get their daily messages through them. Just because the internet is exploding right and left does not mean it is not dead, cold, empty, devoid of feeling, acrimonious, etc. I picture a bunch of fat losers sitting around stuffing garbage in their face, lounging in their underwear, writing drivel that no one cares to read anyway. Pathetic and, Prince hit the nail on the head. You just couldn't bear the truth so you have to dismiss him and cut him down to your level. I have never seen a country so divided as the one we have today.

You talk to record industry executives today and they openly acknowledge that albums are a loss to them because people get music for free by stealing it. This is destroying creativity and the music world is turning out rap crap and pop junk.

This guy had a career that most people here can only dream of. He made more money than many of you will ever see or have. So you dismiss him because he is insignificant in your little fast paced, I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it-existence.

I read an interview from the Moody Blues the other day. They created beautiful poetry and lyrics at one time and don't bother writing new material for songs today. They make more money by being on the road and playing their old material from the 60's to the 80's.

Maybe Don McLean was on to something different when he wrote about the day the music died. Maybe he wasn't talking about Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly's plane crash but, the soulless and lifeless method of listening to music today. Most of you will never get it.

The article fails to mention that the album, 20ten, is being released strictly in music box format (wound up cylinder with metal comb), as mp3s, cd's, cassettes, records and 8 tracks are all dead as well.

Who cares about "YOUNG LISTENERS"...dude...I don't know 5 cats under 25 who have actually purchased 20 CDs in there lives???? Young listeners can continue downloading Soulja boy or Justin Bieber...ha ha ha..The money is in the Concert tours..not album sales...Stones, Eagles, EWF, PRINCE, Janet, Garth..call em old, call em outdated but THEY can still sell out a NFL Stadium..whereas you can line up 15 of these new artists and won't sell out a walmart parking lot!

The Internet is completely dead in terms of saving the music industry, give it some time and the music industry as we know it, will die. Music itself will live on, but iTunes is prolonging the inevitable. There's only so many ways you can squeeze 10lbs of crap into a 5lbs bag and that's the best analogy I can use to describe the music industry's practices.

Outside of that, the Internet isn't going anywhere until the federal and state governments figures out a way to effectively tax it, then afterwards, it's usage will go into the toliet.

Go easy on the guy, I live a few miles from Paisley Park. My guess is he hasn't had internet access for awhile (if ever) and doesn't understand how it all works. That and his place was just recently emptied. You see, he had to sell everything to pay those dreaded taxes he was behind on. All because the record companies weren't paying him.

heh why do i picture him on a front porch, waving a cane around, saying "you darn kids stay off my lawn" LOL yah, the internet is completely dead – NOT. Can you imagine anyone going a DAY without it???

I don't agree that the internet is dead....but I wish it was.....! Frankly it has done nothing but cause problems.....the internet has made a mess out the world as we know...and we need to face that face....!! Look at cheating sites for instance.....we didn't have that 20 years ago and we didn't have the cheaters then....!! Go Prince......We in MN love you!

"The Internet" is not capable of "causing problems" or "making a mess out of the world." I would say that the Internet is an inanimate object - but it's not even that, really. Any problems or messes should be blamed on the humans who caused them. The internet is a tool which humans use to do things, sometimes bad things. But the human at some point makes the decision in their brain to perform an act, and that is where fault lies. Don't be so clueless.

I am inclined to agree with Jeanine on this one. Certainly, cheating happened in the past. However, I think it's much more widespread now with the tools that the Internet provides. In many cases, there might not be any physical relationship that comes out it. However, I'd venture to say that housewives that have the Internet are "cheating" much more often now than most would want to believe.

Facebook = your wife is actively developing emotional attachments to other men (and if her husband did the same thing, she would consider it to be cheating).

With, or without the internet people will cheat. The internet is simply an extension of your own morals. If you would cheat without the internet, you'll cheat with it. If you would have an affair on the internet, you'll have one in real life. Honestly those who are blaming the internet are probably all liberals since they like to point the finger and say, he did it. The internet has allowed for greater communication with the world, it has allowed for great minds to come together and express ideas. The internet has allowed those who weren't capable of commuting to school to take online classes. Those seeking to demonize the internet are simply afraid of the internet.

Radiohead released an album with a record company. However, Radiohead is HUGE, and Prince is oldtime and not huge. Phish has an amazing following, and survices on tours and live recordings. However, Prince is no Phish and doesn't have that following. I suspect Prince thinks he bigger than anyone else thinks. Too bad for Prince. The proof will soon be seen.

You are so confused, everyone has their favorite artist and yours is Phish and that is ok,but please know that Prince is not washed up.........when you speak and voice your opinion it should make people think and not point and laugh. Prince has been in the music industry for over 40 years, has an extensive fan base, with many #1 hits, awards and accolades, given to various non profit organizations, worked and performed with some of the biggest names in the industry and Phish has done what.......!! Let's not be both disrespectful and uninformed.

Another thing..this is by no means scientific..but i'd bet 65% of the folks that are always commenting on blogs, have their own blogs or spend half the day on the net, illegally download music also..lol..I was looking for an Oil Spill update and saw an REAL MUSICAL GENIUS/ICON article so I read it....Internet isn't dead obviously..but you have to take your iPod touch out your butt, or put your Wii controller down to get the overall message. Wait, is that your mom yellin down to you in the basement? Guess it's time to turn off you online game of call of Duty 7 with your cool friends...LMAO

Attention getting stunt designed to get people to pay attention to an album they would otherwise walk by without noticing in a music store. Hell, why would you even look for a Prince anything if you weren't a huge fan already. Nice trick though, you fooled quite a few already. I hope you didn't pay too much for the publicity though. Gotta watch that bottom line. I would have done it for 50k.

It's a clear internet stunt. The internet may in fact be old someday as new technology comes around, but the fact is that it's not dead right now. For something to die something new needs to take it's place and it's going to take more than the next 10 years to do so because I don't see anything that can beat it right now or even match the power of the internet.

Super talented composer and musician but I think his new ideas arent new ideas anymore and this all leads to disappointing sales and he is being left behind in the younger listeners ears. Sure when you've had a life where you were once treated as a music genius and now you're as good as your last hit (which I can't remember what that was)?
Prince is now blaming the greatest invention since electricity on his failing career. Oh yeah Prince maybe you should post your new articals by Telegraph so they look new and advanced. Your only problem is you forgot how to write new and ground breaking material. Don't take it so hard you've had a great run and you will have to be satisfied with a bunch of greatest hits releases which is your only option. People still want to see you LIVE so its not the end of your world!
I believe your religion doesn't believe there were dinosaurs and you're saying the internet is done and over? Coming from that sort of logic it would be apparent you'll never come up with any rational thoughts outside of playing music!

1) He got how many of you to post and talk about what he said? – Genius
2) The money isn't in the music – it's the show's ticket sales – guess he just let millions know he has new material and how to get it – with a concert series to come – Genius
3) Records ARE making a come back – odd as that is ...
4) Rip away folks – at some point the professional muscians will say forget – not worth it – retire with their bankers – and you'll be left with people who are NOT doing it to make millions off gouged concert goers, and therefore are really in it for the art ... oh wait – thats a good thing ...

Genius? Bit much when in fact we are all calling him a moron.
torrentz his music? It is somehow tainted now. Not that Prince ever occupied a sector of my HD or tray in the player anyway. If the trending is negative... no amount of old fart press will sell records.

I can understand his frustration with the internet. His industry has been changed forever with technology..which unfortunately includes thieving individuals. The only way to make up the money is to tour more days a year and do all of the hard work to see more profits for himself and those involved in his representation. However damning the internet as passe is silly CRAP talk ! We expect more intelligence from a musician of your stature.

He is into fads. The Internet is no longer a fad is part of the established systems cof society so that is why he does not comprehend his blundering comment. He thinks numbers are bad which shows you how someone can be financially wealthy yet ignorant,uneducated,and socially dysfunctional ( no insult 'just facts) This is why performers (sports athletes ,musicians,actors) can be rewarded ,by fame and money, yet be addicts,mentally ill,idiots,and criminals yet viewed by some as "Great" or "talented"

Listen, he's speaking in general...why give it to iTunes? 80% of you yokels are gonna download it for free anyway!! He's trying like every other artist...to get paid for his work...Bunch of test tube babies wanting crap for free!

WOW! And I thought I'd heard some ignorant statements before, but seriously???? The Internet is obsolete?? And please, pray tell, what is replacing it??? I just want to know so that I can be as informed as Symbol/Prince/Fool! HA HA!!! What a moron!

Yay... We've all lived long enough to see Prince go kookoo. Later, we'll read about his time spent naked in a movie theater & his instructions on how many tissues it takes to open a door... all from the dead internet :)

He's just an ol' dog having difficulty adjusting to the ever-changing world. Unfortunately for him though, all his songs are readily available via P2P networks. But hey, so long as he's getting paid, one way or another.

Newspapers, like all print media, are not tools of communication, they are tools of dissemination. The internet is a tool of communication but at a much higher level it is an enabler of connections and collaboration. The two are not to be compared.

The funniest thing here is that this shmohawk likely did this on purpose, what else could he have possibly said that would not enrage anyone yet get so much press? Good move.

Prince has every right to refuse to allow his music on itunes and/or youtube or any other forum. I would think that it's a bad business decision on his part and if his sales suffer because the music can't be bought via itues then so be it. His problem.

What will really happen is that he's shot himself in the foot. He is hoping to create a demand for his music here, but it won't happen. What will happen is everyone that receives a free copy in Europe will upload it via a torrent site, and everyone that has bad taste in music can download it for free anyway. He's totally not going to get paid at all. NEWS FLASH: Moron entertainer Prince declares Bankruptcy.

people who sing should get used to the idea of being paid just like everyone else..... for the time you put into the project. Singers want to get paid everytime a song is played. Imagine being charged a fee by the Architect everytime you entered one of his buildings or should a singer pay the manufacturer everytime they strum the strings on a guitar or hit the heads on a drum or pay a gardener everytime they enjoy the garden?

He is an artist. He looks at the world differently. He is right and wrong at the same-time. How we look at the internet and how we looked at the internet is the real question. The way we looked at the internet is dead. It is not a wild west anymore, but carefully constructed and controlled product. Managed quiet adeptly by Google and Apple and the likes. We accept things as being there, and that it is ours for the picking and using. Kind of like a wild berry, The potential for what internet could have been and what it is are two different things.
The wild spirit if the Internet and MTV and a hundred other things.
What is cool now about the internet is really the unimportant things like an Iphone version 4 or a droid.
These are actually items that could have been predicted

Dead? really? Internet is a vital communication tool in today's world. Print design /marketing materials are off because of it.Dead? Haven't heard Prince's name since the Super Bowl years ago until today...who's dead?

prince is drunk. are you kidding. the recording industry is dead. people should and are getting smarter that you don't have to pay for garbage and pay for what you exactly want. 1 to 2 songs are descent and the rest garbage, give me a break. artists are lazy and full of themselves and pushing out bad songs who can't really sing. Watch the foreign markets, you get the bang for the buck. downloads and sales are through the roof, due to the fact that artists overseas work harder and give back to their followers far more than anyone of our artist day in and day out.

As much as I think Prince is a musical genius, he is wrong about the internet being dead. But he has a right to ban YouTube and ITunes from his music. I still enjoy going to the store and buying CD's, just like the good ole days and the internet has taken some of this away. Just like anything else, too much of a good thing can be bad.

What a tool. Ever hear of You Tube, girly man? The internet is bigger than ever, he/she's just trying to sound outrageous. He reminds me of the guy who says, "It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!"

my my my how times have changed?
easy to tell the youngsters on this page from the adults:
"im not young enough to know everything"

mtv used to stand for music television. now it stands for marketing.
for an unsigned artist the internet can be of use... up to a point.
then after a certain amount of exposure comes the time to get paid. Most signed acts get the bulk of their income from live performances. Ah but the insurance company, the dui laws, the non smokers have all but killed the music "scene".
And when you look to the web for your payment, low and behold the album u release on sunday is on Bittorrent come monday for free.
For some reason todays kids seem to think that the record labels all make tons and the artists do as well. That's just not true and really never has been. The labels make enough to keep profitable, but that was only thru about 1993. Now, since todays kids want everything for free (see "unemployment extensions" anywhere on the web) and they have the attention span of a fruit fly, ALL art is now disposable.
Prince was at his height in the 80s. And he is still respected by some of us who understand what he went thru during his "symbol" years.
So in the end, since this is a guy who was ahead of the curve long before most of you knew what the curve was and this is also a guy who has fought major labels and won you might wanna listen to what he is saying.
Because the internet IS dead. and kids today lack enough background culture to understand whats going on with music and art in general. but its good 2 hear someone else say it for once... Peace

The only a media channel (whether it be MTV or the internet) can die is if it is superceded or replaced with something better. This clearly has not happend. Kudos for the free press but if the aim is to get paid for your music you need to take some refresher courses in math. What a ding dong.

The Internet is not dead but it's certainly overrated. A reason why is the horrible quality of most of the writing on the Internet, like this story on Prince for example. It's really, really bad with lots of mistakes and typos. Geezus doesn't anyone check this stuff?

Yea OK Prince, let me get your new Compact Disc album and dig out my old Sony Discman to play it with? Please. You've lost it, again, for lets see... yea the 20th time. Wake me up when you are relevant again, oh wait thats not going to happen.

Bottom line. Everyone wants to be paid for what profession they're in. Prince should be paid if Youtube or Itunes try and distribute his work through the web. It's his music if he yell it from the top of a mountain or decide to let news outlet distribute it, that's his choice. One ask how will his music appeal to the masses? Advertise, not give complete albums away. You shouldn't be able to download artist's music for free. They have to pay for studio times, studio bands, back up singers, and all other costs that comes with making an album. He's right.

prince should release his new album on 78 RPM records. he should advertise it by hiring bums to walk around with placards around their necks. he should grant interviews only to people who use typewriters instead of laptops and recorders.

He doesn't care who pirates this album, because the newspaper probably already gave him at least a cool milli for the album. He would have had to sell over 700,000 albums with Warner Brothers to make that same money. He won't be out one red cent (or in this case, pence). And...he doesn't even have to tour or go on Jimmy Fallon. Smart guy.

Heh, that is stupid, if he really thinks that internet is like MTV. Obviously, this kind of technology is only going forward not backwards. He thinks he should get paid upfront? What if no one like his music? Shouldn't you only get paid if you put out something people care to listen to? Prince is living in the 80's...

Prince is the king of contradiction. Just laugh and enjoy the music.
He has won several webby awards dating back to 1999 for his online ventures in music distribution.
He is just trying to get press for this latest distribution deal which seems to be working....hence the CNN coverage.

Prince has already made 2 of his most recent songs for free on http://www.drfunkenberry.com

Internet is convenient. It makes life easy to the point where most things you don't even need to move your butt to get it. Nearly everything is on the internet. This is why the economy struggles all sales are online and stores fail and close because they sell less or sell nothing. This is why obesity is sky rocketing and this nation is more unhealthy than anywhere in the world. Plus you can do some stupid things on the net like distribute copy right infringed music – free. So the music industry tanks because of the stupidity that goes on online. ( I can see why Prince thinks the internet is dead. And I agree with him.) But Itunes and others like it are paid services. But the money that comes out of itunes is probably so small it'll pay for everything else and when it gets to the hands of the artist its nothing but a few bucks to them. ( So I agree 50 percent there) I still buy CD's and support the music industry. And thats my take on all of this.

Well he is right! Why should anyone make money off of anyones music? Yes some of you do not know him but you do know Britney, GaGa and anyone else who in the music industry today. You have to pay the internet people to down load the music..so why should they not have to pay the people who have made the music? Some of you may have noticed that some stores you do into does not have any music any more because they have to pay to play it now. I do not know if this has happened yet but I did hear that the radio stations was going to have to pay to play the music also. SO just because this guy that many of you do not know is sticking up for the music industry does not mean he is a crazy nut case and that he should put music on records again. He is not crazy maybe the people responsiable for the music that you listen to should have a say in their music the internet uses for free and inturn sells to you to down load.
If you were these people you would not want people making money for free of of you either. And for sure if one of us was to copy music from a cd and resell it we would go to jail if caught. This is just what the internet is doing!

Prince is a true musical genius and a great business man, he has survived the industry 40 years.......he has learned by experience–he, his music, or his fan base will be around forever, his music is etched in our hearts!! Viva la Prince!!

Actually this is one time I would have to agree with Prince in some respects. The internet may not be dead, but it will be the undoing of civilization and the moral compass Mom and Pop opefully delivered to their kids when small. FAITH = Father allows Internet to Hurt.

"What he is trying to do is make people actually purchase the album instead of going to your favorite file sharing place and getting it for free with nothing go back to the artist. I know there are ways to get around it but the guy is trying to show the younger generation they need to understand the business and to take control of their careers."

Good luck trying to "drive" people back into record stores by not distributing your album in the #1 place people shop - their homes. Maybe he hopes we'll ride our horses to the record store, instead of our cars? Or use our rotary phones to call Tower Records to see if they have Prince in stock. Maybe stop off at the silent film theatre and catch a flick on the way to buy Prince's music...

Prince buddy, you can swim with the river, or against it. The river doesn't care what you do. And no matter how much YOU care what you do, and how much you care about controlling how people purchase your album...you're not changing the course of the river. Your fans might be forced back to brick and mortar stores. But your sales are going to suffer mightily. And you will break down and put them on Itunes. Trust me. I hear you complaining about getting paid...which is exactly your characters motivation to change his "tune", come one day.

Get with the future. Or die in the past. Your choice. River rolls on with or without you.

Prince's point is premature. Technology moves in stages, like everything else. True, MTV is not the video powerhouse it once was, but it was hot in its heydey. The Internet is what we have now and it is still evolving, but it is definitely not dead. How else is Prince's, or anyone else's music going to get to the masses? Wake up, brotha....

Where did people on this board get the idea that Jehovah's Witnesses have issues with technology/the Internet? And where did you get the idea that because Prince is a JW that that's where his opinion about the internet comes from? JW's find the internet to be just as valuable a daily-life tool as any of the rest of you. Most would likely disagree that "the internet is dead" but respect Prince's right to say what he thinks.

And as for the imbecile who stated that Michael Jackson's family was "encouraged" to pursue fame and fortune, there's a reason there are very few famous JW"s out there – because the majority do NOT pursue fame and fortune. The Jackson family made their own choice to do so, and that was their right. Get your story straight.

What a interesting statement from the signal, I mean the sign or the prince.....I gotta email my friends this article.

Jack, You sound obsolete already.....prince will be long dead before the internet becomes obsolete ya twit. so he did make a stupid comment, regardless of how many musical awards he has. geniuses can DO/speak stupid....and he did. how YOU durrin?

It's funny to read most of the posts on here calling him washed up and a has been. The picture above is from the BET Awards in which he won a Lifetime Achievement Award. So please tell me how someone is washed up if you can get an entire building of people to sing multiple hit songs? I think so many of you don't understand the difference between being washed up and being a true sucessful artist. It is a little something called longevity. As someone of you are missing because it might have been edited out of the clip here, he is speaking on the Internet as a distribution outlet for an artist to be paid. So what people can download your music for free? Does that put food on his table or clothes on his back for his hard work? As he stated at least with a record company, you got paid an advance. The online companies don't want to pay. Also he is using the medium which works best in those areas. Papers are dying in the U.S. but people still pick them up in Europe. What he is trying to do is make people actually purchasae the album instead of going to your favorite file sharing place and getting it for free with nothing go back to the artist. I know there are ways to get around it but the guy is trying to show the younger generation they need to understand the business and to take control of their careers.

1) They have SHORT ATTENTION SPANS. No one wants to read your terribly long explanation of how Prince meant to communicate his message... I read it and agree, but that's just me.
2) They are closed-minded and stubborn. I am pretty sure someone is just out there waiting to trip up your statement just as they would trip up my statements... just for the sake of keeping them in the category of correctness.
3) People don't interpret things here. It's all taken for face value. It's an article in a seemingly pointless section of CNN... why bother thinking? I don't blame them, but I also don't think people who actually try to interpret the article are doing any wrong, either. Face value in most cases is fine. Prince is just not a person who can be taken for face value, maybe other than his wacky appearance and loss of influence in the music industry today.

Wow I can't believe how out of touch with reality Prince, and apparently some people here, are. First this doesn't read as something like "Well after some serious studying of the dynamics of communication, business, and technology, I no longer see a need for the Internet". No, this reads as "Pft, I'm not making nearly as much money as I want off this thing, so I'm gonna complain about it and cause some controversy. Maybe that will increase record sales". His career is the only thing being close to dead so he needs to make some headlines. Don't get me wrong, Prince has made some great music that I enjoy, but this makes no sense... either he's completely off his rocker, or he's desperate for attention(probably a little of both).

Because really, how dumb can you be? Comparing it to MTV? You serious? Yeah, a global, interactive communications network is a great comparison to a music television channel. Brilliant.

He wants to get paid for his music, however in the past 10 years the number of people actually paying for music has dropped about 90%. He should consider a next-generation "360" deal and rebuild the net presence he had when mp3's first came along into a modern money making machine. I wonder if he is still in touch with Warner or reads Fast Company? http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/147/take-us-to-the-river.html

Man, all of you are missing his point – THE INTERNET IS BAD FOR YOU! He is from "back in the day" and he doesn't like the changes he sees, so he is taking a stand – show some respect for that! Or does Farmville not teach about respect and principles??

The only way the internet will die is if its replaced by something better. The way we interface with the internet will and has changed but the basic idea of sharing information through electronic means is FAR from dead! Newspapers is a medium that will die off well before the internet

I don't know where and how this developed, but it seems to me you just wait for Mr. Griffin to post his CAPS LOCK comments just to reply with "well I read it as it is."

I can't really determine what Prince truly meant with his words, but he's not known for being blunt. Other than assuming the typical marketing scheme it's somewhat questionable to just leave his words at that. Weird people like him do not just say things as they are...

I would assume the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record have online websites as well, so what kind of point is Prince trying to make here? If the outlets he is releasing to have online content, how can the internet be obsolete?

Brilliant! As an artist, we need to get paid. Prince is brilliant. He has a library of work far richer than any other musician. By him giving iTunes the stiff middle finger is grand because he has a wealth of fans who support him far more than the labels could ever imagine. He also wants control of his work which is something only a few musicians have. Most artists do not retain the rights to their musical catalog. So, good for him for telling Mr. Jobs no thanks.

Good one skiptracer...give it a couple of days after it comes out in Europe and it will find it's way onto the newsgroups and all of us, if we even want it, can get it for free....
I always liked his music but geez, get with the program already...he probably just doesn't know how to use a computer and it's too itimidating for him.

He's got a point about not getting paid. The Internet is not dead-anyone with ONE eye can see that. But, artists like Prince simple want to get paid for their music-and thanks to the Internet, they are getting less of it. Before the Internet, if you wanted music, you had no choice but to listen to the radio of BUY it. Now, it's so easy to get music cheap or free. Artists are pussed off!

ONE MORE TIME – He's not saying the Internet as a form of communication is dead, he's saying the internet as a way of releasing new music is dead. And he's right. YES HE WILL HAVE A BILLION HITS IF HE POSTS ON YOUTUBE, THAT IS NOT SELLING HIS MUSIC TO INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR OWN POSSESSION SORRY

@ CHRIS:
With what authority can you claim to accurately translate Prince's statements into something other than what he said?

"The Internet's completely over,” <- That is his quote. Those are his words. I'm sorry but you are no one and clearly not in a position to claim you know the true meaning behind his words. What you wish and what is true are not the same. Wake up, pal.

Prince is an IDIOT! How can believe the internet is oboslete? He is the one that is obsolete. He was good in the 80s, okay in the 90s, but about the time of his name change to a symbol, he has sucked. Giving his music away is about the only people will get it.

A REAL Prince fan knows he's always ahead of the curve. He plans to release his next album via MIND POWERS! All you get at the new stand is a blank CD and a cover for you to burn your new CD with your mind!

filling your head with numbers can't be good for you. that sounds like something i heard an old guy say: they should throw all the computers away and give kids paper and pencil to do their homework. ah, prince is a geezer...

Ummm...this message is to anyone posting on here that agrees with Prince:

If the internet is "dead" than why are you reading and posting a comment on an internet blog?
I would have a hard time believing taht you just "wandered into" this blog and decided to post a comment...which requires an e-mail address...which you obviously have. So again, I ask, how could you possibly think that the internet is "dead"?

Prince, unfortunately, has proven himself to be completely out of touch.

(really, if you think about it, he hasn't lived in the "real world" since about 1982- since then, he's been in his own little Paisly Park universe).

He lost me when he threatened action against the woman who posted a home movie clip on youtube of her small child dancing in their house...to "1999". Really, this woman was not looking to profit in any way.

For someone who probably hasnt had to worry about money for the last 30 years, this is beyond petty. What a jerk.

wow, you're all missing the main point. Money. This isn't about the internet or MTV, or numbers. It's all about control and money. Prince may not be dead as an artist, but he is irrelevant to the industry as a whole. His influence is dying. The internet isn't dead, it may transform, but the concept of the internet won't die. Instant gratification will never go away.

Makes sense.... It took a Herculean Effort for him to wrangle his music back from the stranglehold of Big Business..That's why he changed his name until his obligation was done, he did not want to sell records... Hello? "Emancipation" .. Get with it.. Why would he give his music to You Tube for free in a format that sounds like garbage?... Finally someone who actually cares about owning their music and what it sounds like.... You are right, 80's. Most of those people actually wrote,played, and sang their own stuff... But hey, you probably thought Milli Vanilli was cool...

"owning your music and caring about what it sounds like" is one thing, but Prince has been downright FANATICAL when it comes to youtube. If you post a home movie, and "1999" HAPPENS to be playing in the background, he views it as ground for legal action. He tried it before and was, fortunately, struck down, because the youtube poster fought back.

The internet may not be a viable mechanism for monetizing music, but it's hardly dead. In fact, with the internet, you can now get the same education you could spend $400,000 for at Harvard without even paying the "dollar fifty in late charges at the public library"...

If Prince feels that his music is best distributed through more traditional means, then so be it. I personally don't see that he is doing himself a favor. A distribution company is only going to distribute his new album based on their projections of how many copies they would expect to sell. Obviously if someone (like Prince) who has not had recent popular releases should not expect to get the same value for his music as perhaps he did back when he was more popular. My belief is (especially with artists like Prince as well as upcoming unknown artists) that because the internet has fundementally changed or created (as some would argue) avenues for artists to distribute their music, that he would do well to consider all the possible ways he can get his music out to the masses. I don't believe the internet is dead with respect to music distribution, to the contrary I believe it is the emerging future for artist, famous or not.

It's called projection. Prince is nothing more than an "has been" and other than weirdness from the tabloids, he's been out of the spotlight for over 20 years. Nice try, but he's still an has been and calling the internet dead is just plain stupid. The internet will die the day we will all be wired "Borg-style" and I'm pretty sure Prince will be long dead when that happens, if it ever does.

the internet will not die and is NOT like MTv. Why? Because unlike MTV, people choose what they want from the internet. Unlike most products, the internet is a use-at-will device, and people can seek out what they like on it. That's a huge difference. When MTV fell by the wayside, did all of TV go with it? No. The internet is a portal, not an end product in of itself. There's a difference.

He is another tv/movie/music personality that is useless. Why do we care what he says? Does he have a a law degree or a phd? Did he go to school? I dont know and dont care, but why care what he has to say? He has done nothing important!

Wow – I can't believe all the people calling Prince an idiot. I'm going to gues that he has made far more money than anyone posting comments here...probably far more money than all the people who have posted comments here combined. He must be doing something right....

I am not sure if the Internet is "dead" but he is right about MTV – it is sad to see that these music channels have become a thing of the past (especially if you grew up in the '80's and watched the channel in it's infancy) but it is odd that he says that internet as a way of distributing music is dead when he has been doing exactly that since the mid '90's (when it was then unheard of for a musician to distribute through the internet and by pass the music channels and stores).

The internet is our only forum of open media. The net may be filled with garbage but the alternative news media is mankinds last bastion of hope. The government controlled corporate media is nothing but a propaganda machine. If we dont have the internet to expose government and corporate corruption then there is no tellling what sort of laws and powers they will sneak in out of public awareness. The globalists have repeatedly stated that the public internet was a mistake. They want to restrict free spech and access to any information that shows them for what they are. Off shore banking cartels.
Learn more about the criminal takeover of America @
http://www.infowars.com

I heard he's releasing his newest work on 78's. Says that's the be-all, do-all of technology - and it's all the rage in Minnesota where he went long ago to get the permanent brain freeze that obviously has finally taken hold. Prince – get out of Minnesota before you release a remake of polka hits with your old (re: dead) sound.

What was once thought to be the great equalizer, freeing the fledgling singer from the tyranny of record companies, has proved to be useless as a means of making money as a recording artist.

The virtual experience provided by computers and gadgets - filling your head with numbers - is artificial. Whether you're creating music or experiencing music, nothing compares to a live experience.

The only way for new artists to flourish is to find a way of bringing great music to the masses AND being generously compensated for their talent. Unfortunately, the Internet has failed to accomplish this.

The internet isn't dead, and Prince (or whatever he likes to be called these days) is definitely incorrect about the life cycle of mp3 players and otehr digital devices as being the media of choice for music lovers at this time.

This sounds like a general gripe that iTunes won't pay the artists until the actual songs are purchased – therefore, if the song is garbage, and no one buys it, there is no need to pay royalties.

iTunes is not your record company, which will pay artists an up front fee to produce albums AND royalties based on sales.

Prince is complaining that the "internet is outdated" but he is using an outdated business model for getting paid royalties for his music.

He/She/It should learn to speak more clearly and with purpose. I take what he/she/it says at face value, I will not assume hidden or forgotten meanings that you have. He/She/It said the internet is dead. Clearly, he/she/it did not say that the internet as a delivery vehicle for music has passed its prime. (which it hasn't - so he would still be wrong.)

The person I responded to (CHRIS) made a post containing conjecture and guesswork tainted by his personal biases. There is no supplemental evidence that Mr. Nelson (aka Prince) meant anything other than what he said. To assume otherwise would be stupid. If Mr. Nelson meant something else, he should have SAID something else. But he did not. He said what he said, and since he's not hear to clear things up we have no choice but to take what he said AS HE SAID IT.

... You'reRetarded, you're missing it. Maybe if you opened your mind to other interpretations you would get it. Prince doesn't need any "evidence" to suggest otherwise as much as you need it for your self-validation. There is nothing wrong with taking his words for face value, but to suggest that the only possible interpretation is based off of face value is just called "not using your head enough." So before we all start calling each other idiots and retards maybe we can get our heads screwed on straight first.

Prince was never one to be straight about things (no pun intended). His words and comments always had some messages behind them. People prefer someone who is to the point and makes their statement known without all the "mumbo jumbo" and "mind games." Therefore, it's understandable you feel the way you do, but there's definitely more to his words than you realize. If you followed him closely (which I assume you haven't) that's his style. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I know more than to just judge a book by its cover, which is what you did with his words.

You'reRetarded, there is nothing wrong with thinking outside the box. I know it's hard, but please try it. IT WORKS! It's the same as thinking the world is flat, taking it for what it was back when people thought that, and then never trying to test the theory to see if it was fact. Now where would we be if someone hadn't thought outside the box...

You guys are so funny..defending the deep interpretations of a purple fuzzy door...dissecting his inner thoughts as if they were life altering, mind shattering....yes, nirvana in nature. He's actually hyping his new album and needs the publicity...and you clones will go out and buy his stuff while he's shaking his tail all the way to the bank, crying purple rain tears of joy as you clones empty your pocket books...

Oh wait he's about to speak.........nothin but dead air and static....yawn..

To the people: Unfortunately, we can't package what you do, your lifeblood or your essence. If we could, we'd download what you have made and cheat you of your rightful profits. We would share what you've created (which most likely amounts to ZIP) with people whom we don't know. Then we would rail against you for complaining about it. Now all you get are fame seekers, not musicians.

People are greedy, pathetic little creatures. They think other people should work for free, as long as they get paid.

All I can say to prince is, "Act your age, mama
Not your shoe size".
I guess he was really out there in 84 when he was singing about partying like it was 1999. Sounds like he has stayed back there and is still thinking it is 1999.
Sorry Prince, I think we are all moving on.

i'm not sure the internet is dead. Though, i'm not sure what context this article is relaying that information from either. Sounds like mr symbol doesn't know what he's talking about on one hand, but on the other, he may have some agenda and is just using some crafty sales technique to spark interest before revealing whatever he's cooking up...

Prince is way out of touch here. The internet will not die until something better comes along. That's the way the world works. I fail to see how his idea is better for me the consumer. I think he is trying to change the world on his own. It will never work.

I think he's just being sensational... it's such a misinformed statement to say that the "internet is dead." He's smarter than that... There was intention, a plan (and probably a marketing scheme) behind his remarks.

It appears my comments under the alias' of goober and goober2 (may they rest in peace) were removed for stating the obvious, Poor Prince has become a rock relic..Left behind and abandoned on the side of the information system highway. Sorry my purple fuzzy door friend, the kids today don't use albums or tapes, just dvd's...and in case you are unaware that equates to what we call "Data" and this "Data" can be removed and put on another dvd and handed to a friend or associate, we call that "Ripping". So yes, your only option is to make a declaration that the new frontier is dead.
Unfortunately you were just looking in the mirror at your career..

As for the grammar in this article...There should be another news flash..." CNN hires 2 year olds to write their columns, details at eleven"

I'm a huge Prince fan from way back – Purple Rain is just about my all-time favorite album – but while he may be a musical genius, his comments are symptomatic of disordered, paranoid thinking. Jack's comment gave me a thought – Maybe he should distribute his next album on wax cylinder via pony express. That's about as analog as it gets. Then again, what does he think CDs are? They use digital encoding, i.e. ones and zeroes, to record and play back the music, so our heads have been "filled with numbers" for a long time. TV and radio are digital, too, now. I'm all for artists getting paid, but the internet is the new distribution medium, so get used to it, Mr. Nelson.

MTV didn't become outdated, they CHOSE to stop playing music videos and to become a reality TV channel. If they chose to start playing music videos today people would watch it . The internet isn't something that will ever go away, it's entertainment like tv but better because the user always has control of the content.

I think someone is off their meds. Can this guy back stupid... OR does he just mean music-wise, which may be true. The Internet is like the plane, the microwave or the TV.... an invention of tremendous use in all facets of life, research, technology and science.

I live just down the street from Paisley Park and he's there a lot. As I run into him quite a bit when he's in town, I can say he's a really nice guy, however, to say that the internet is dead makes me think he's been living in the woods a little too long. Wish I could defend you, Prince, but this one is just too out there.

"Fans can snag their copy this Saturday via the different press outlets, but you they certainly won’t find any of the new material online."

Hahahahaha....this statement alone tells me he has no understanding of the digital era we live in. His 'new' album will not be available online on Saturday...true. Check the internet on Sunday, once users have ripped a copy for everybody to have.....These artists/industry leaders have zero understanding on how thing work nowadays!!!!!

"Fans can snag their copy this Saturday via the different press outlets, but you they certainly won’t find any of the new material online. "

er yeah, until about 5 minutes after the newspaper hits the newsstand and the CD is ripped and available on every bit torrent site out there...for free... and i don't think demand for it will kill the internet, if that's what he meant.

Perhaps Prince is frustrated that entertaining may not be as lucrative for him as it was when he was new and fresh on the entertainment scene. Longevity combined with financial success in one's craft as a musician, sports figures, actor and other entertainment professions is difficult to sustain for a variety of reasons. Politicians are the entertainers that somehow manage to cling to their careers long after many of us wish they would just fade away. I wonder if Prince bothers to vote.

1. "Fill your head with numbers" You mean like "20ten"? Yeah, not a good, or correctly written number.

2. Internet = MTV is a facile analogy. I'd agree that the Internet = TV itself, a system that carries a channel called MTV, a channel which made Prince what he is today. Keep screaming at the ocean pal!

I can't belive he is still trying to cut records, i mean he is so like 1980's. He needs to go back to 1980 lol, cause CD's are dead, downloading mp3's is the only way and it will be the only way in a few more years. LMAO

Prince is extremely intelligent and knows exacttly what he's doing especially when it comes to his music and the control he has over its distribution. Only those who don't understand think he's crazy or that his career is over. Being in the "mainstream view" doesn't mean success. Prince is not the same artist he was in 1984 nor should he be. I think anyone in the industry would count themselves lucky to be where he is now in career.

Prince is right. The internet is dead. Internet is now a great reference tool. A library minus the paper. So yes it’s nice to read news and watch some clips online but really, my internet consumption has declined year over year. I find myself watching some T.V. occasionally to entertain myself and of course the occasional video game. So if you where actually reading properly before passing judgement you would have understood what Prince meant by the internet is dead. The internet is now a tool, it was the latest and greatest once upon a time ago but as everything it fades and something new and exciting will come along. No doubt using internet connection (like social media which is starting to shift to your mobile phone away from your computer)….but not what most people currently use it for. And just for some who did not get the number comment…the data transmitted from server to computer IS a bunch of numbers.

I only read half the comments and got really bored. My lunch break is over and won’t be coming back to comment on these blogs for at least another 6 months….it has gotten really boring! Dead!

Prince is right. Street-corner vending is a visceral sort of art, but at least it doesn't fill your head with numbers like the internet does. Watch for the Artist Formerly Earning a Descent Living coming to a gritty curbside near you.

What I think is that you need to proofread your articles before posting them on this obsolete Internet thing. Seriously, get some integrity and put our a professional product. There is no excuse for a news organization to have typos that would justify a journalism professor issuing an automatic "F" for amateurish mistakes. Have some pride.

Saying "the internet is dead" is like saying "tv is dead". A better analogy would be "MTV was a fad, and youtube/hulu/itunes are also fads". But the internet itself is used for a lot more than helping musicians sell their albums.

Mark, in case you haven't noticed. Tv is actually dead. Most tv stations are low on money and we will see less and less quality productions. Why? Most money gets gobbled up by the cable companies these days and they don't care about giving us a nice program. Check with your local tv station if you are in doubt about what I say.

He didn't become His Purpleness for nothing. He is totally right. Why should he give it away so that they can soak people on the internet for 3.00 a tune??/ Ridiculous. You will see that he is right. He is multi talented and spiritual and real.

Yeah, like, woah, he's SooOOoOoOooo spiritual and "real" ... Like, totally, this is what he had to say about his decision to convert to be a Jehova's Witness: "It's like Morpheus and Neo in The Matrix"

Prince is correct in his statement that the initial hype of the internet is gone. Obviously, that is very hard to see for the crowd posting here, but if you would check demographic numbers you would know that it is true. However, the same is not true for the internet being a convenient sales medium. Regardless, it is understandable that not every artist wants to sell off their music to iTunes junkies who are complaining about having to pay one dollar per song...

I do think he is on to something. Browsing and downloading from the Internet will likely give way to something new and different. I think this will happen soon (next five to 10 years) as we see Internet media merging with other forms of entertainment, like TV, movies, radio, etc. Going to your computer to view a Web page or download a song will probably be replaced with something much easier and integrated into our lives in a new way.

Wow – you are so misinformed. MTV barely played any African American artists back in the 80's – MJ's Thriller being played on MTV was considered groundbreaking. Prince does not owe anything to MTV. It is okay to have an opinion – but it is much better to be informed.

Prince has always been ahead of the game. Many artists are getting royally f*ed by the music biz and fans who are too cheap to PAY for what the artist produces. Ever since music has been released via the internet, it's been the end of music itself. When artists cannot get paid, they cannot produce, just like any other business. Would you walk into a restaurant expecting your food for free? Hell, no, but that's exactly what's happened to the music business.

I know exactly what Prince is doing and he is very wise, indeed. Ya'll are just too idiotic to understand. The music business and Internet are a very bad marriage and Prince is simply divorcing it. Good for him!!!! I'll continue to follow his DISTRIBUTION wherever he plans to offer it.

Stop everything...Prince is about to make a proclamation! This artist has been a prince for quite awhile now going to go for all the marbles and move himself to King status…Remember this is the guy who is so self-absorbed he changed his name to a symbol!!
Who-else is feed up with Hollywood and their damn egos!

Princes or "The Symbol" died in the 80's along with the stupid flock of seagal's hair style. Maybe he should hang it up and do one of those reality shows like apprentice or celebrity has beent.
I be the reason he hates the internet is due to his lack of credit allowing him to subscribe to the service.

Prince is a lot smarter than he's credited for! Most of these negative comments are likely from fools who have little or no idea what it takes to sustain a successful career in entertainment (talent or not). The powerful music conglomerates (EMI for example) are a bunch of soul-sacrificing, blood-suckers, that are in place to exploit original music and drop crumbs to the writers of tunes that have true meaning and substance! Someday the idiots that posted negative comments regarding this article will be scratching their big heads while wondering "how could Prince have known this beforehand)?

God's Chosen vessels
11:11
P.S. Some of you fools could learn from history.

What an idiot... How about we just take it off the internet when someone actually buys one of your stupid CDs and places it there... How about that? You will get paid for ONE CD and the rest of us will download it off limewire TWIT

The key line is " They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it."

Actually, this is a case of a aging pop star using an outrageous statement/image to get attention. Prince, or is it he 'artist formerly known as Prince' would NEVER do anything like that.

And why should record companies pay an advance? Particularly to established talent? Why should they take the risk for his art?

He wants to sell albums, not just iTunes copies of the two decent songs that are on a typical album. I am not criticizing only two decent songs per album, that's two more than I could ever write, it just that today iTunes allows you to act like a normal consumer, and buy what you want.

Imagine an album like a dozen eggs: A typical dozen would have two perfect, beautiful, jumbo eggs, two slightly odd-colored large eggs, and eight odd colored, small, dirty, and possibly cracked eggs. That's a typical album: Two hits, two so-so songs, and eight fillers.

In thinking about this, it actually takes us back to the days of the 45, when you could just buy the songs (and one filler) you wanted.

Technology, indeed, can be "disruptive"; disruptive to your discipline and health, that is. While it does bring many things to your finger tips, your fingers and the neurons connecting to them can get itchy. It won't be too long before you lose focus due to addiction and the very meaning of balance in life. Though the guy is a musician, he is dead right on the personal gadgets and problem the society is leading to - "Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

Considering the crap that Prince has released for a number of years, I would not give him an advance either. I would want to be sure that his new material is marketable before putting any sort of financing behind it. My guess is that it is not. For a number of years, (probably since the 80's), Prince has been way to self-absorbed and plays music only for himself, but not for the general public. He lost touch long ago.

Why should he post his music on youtube. com and have everyone steal it?
He created it and it's his to sell if he wishes. Put yourself in a musician or composer's shoes for a minute. You build a career, compose music, perform, tour, try to make a living at it and then people think it's there to steal just because it's there. (It doesn't matter if it's Prince or The Beatles or the local folk guitarist at the neighbourhood pub) who may or may not have made a large amount of money. They have a right to ownership and protection for their creations. You let your governments spend billions on defense but you won't pay money for a CD!

I've got to admit, I never thought I'd believe Prince to be as hard-headed and ignorant as Steve Jobs. Honestly, I didn't think it was possible for anybody to be as stupid as Steve Jobs. Guess I was wrong again. However, for those that say the internet is here to stay, might want to give a history book (they are in these places called 'libraries') a glance. Lots of 'it will never be replaced' stuff in those books. Prince might well turn-out to be correct and his grandkids will be able to walk around saying "I told you so". LOL

Though I think it's misguided, Prince is trying to make his music more valuable by limiting it's availability... kind of like prints of a painting would be. Plus, I think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, et al, will have something to say about the longevity of the Internet.

As soon as some techie gets the CD from the newspaper his mom bought and left in the kitchen, he will rip the CD and upload it to the internet via bittorrent or limewire so the "limited availability" angle is moot, much like the internet is dead comment. There is nothing that is not readily available on the internet for free.

prince has talent but his ego and living in a bubble long ago took over and is in the drivers seat, he is far from the only artist upset over the inability to make money off your work and it is indeed a problem that needs to be fixed but the internet is not only here to stay but will become more and more relevant as time goes on, saying the internet is passe like MTV is like the republicans who just make stuff up and spout it in denial of reality

I think Prince is mixing his arguments a bit, but from his perspective he's making sense. Music has become commodified along with tv/video entertainment and the model of online music distribution that was supposed to replace tradition record companies survives largely on back catalog – content that ironically first appeared on lp and cd.

Non-satellite radio is completely dead as a new music medium and satellite is about the only avenue left that doesn't require the internet to consume.

For quite some time it's been observed that most people limit their online activity to an extremely narrow slice of web sites. Instead of a window on the world, most people look for a mirror confirming their own tastes and views.

Loved Prince as an artist back in the day but now it appears he is simply trying to be controversial for controvery's sake. Kind of sad that the most controversial thing he can think of is something as ridiculous as saying the internet is dead. He's no John Lennon that's for sure hah.

Mission accomplished Prince.... He knows his career is not what it was. So he sets out to create some crazy press story and generete some buzz. If he thought his career was at it's peak he would never even give the interview in the first place. Now look at all of us talking about Prince and his new album. Any press is good press!

What I love most about this guy's comment is that "all things pass and the internet is NEXT" - haha. Even assuming it's true that "all things pass", which by itself is already an overly-simplistic, very general statement with no clearly defined terms nor based on any facts or data, if ALL things pass, statistically it is a near impossibility that the internet would be the VERY NEXT thing to pass. What does this guy define as a "thing" anyway? Let's say there are a billion "things" in existence. So out of these billion "things", the internet will "pass" (whatever that really means) next.

Best part is that all of us with even a shred of intelligence know that the internet will never truly "pass" unless there was some mass extinction event of humanity or we lost the ability to provide power to electronic devices on a worldwide scale. The internet will continue to evolve and grow and expand in scope and purpose, but it's here to stay as long as humans are around and able to provide power to electronic devices.

On the planet Prince lives on, the internet probably is dead. Unfortunately for him, his audience all lives on this planet where it's his career and relevance in the music industry that's dead. Coincidentally since about the time the internet came in to being.

It sounds like he's getting some of the cut because fans have to go out and buy these magazines and newspapers (depending on what "print outlets" they're talking about) in order to even get the "free" music. I mean I guess if they get the music and it's not available anywhere else, not even on CDs in stores, then it's a win for them, but he's entirely foolish if he thinks people are going to go to those lengths to get music (unless of course it's the die-hard fans). Our society is about convenience these days, and while I'll admit that's not necessarily a great thing, it is an undeniable truth.

In some ways, I suppose I admire what he's doing. But too bad for him he's no longer very relevant and neither are his outdated ways. We went through this back in the 90s. "The internet is just a fad, it will die in a few years." Decades later, the internet is thriving. It has proven time and time again that it is definitely here to stay. And no matter how many people dislike it or what it's become, it is also an undeniable truth that the Web is here to stay.

So let me get this Straight....Prince is saying the "Internet is Dead" and won't oput his Music there, but Will give out his Music via Newspapers?? Really?? Internet is Dead but Newspapers are Alive & Well?? ROTFLMAO!!!

Think of it, folks. How can artists (especially new ones) cover the costs for record production by releasing music online? Well, they can look for investors, only to get mercilessly exploited as in the past, or lose a boat load of their own money. Prince knows the music industry better than most. If he does anything that may seem radical to others, it's for a damn good reason.

Talk about press. All he has to do is make an absurd comment and this interview spreads like wildfire across the internet. He is getting EXACTLY the response his publicist wanted. This is a very smart move.

As a side note, I'm sure Prince is very much aware the internet is not dead. Well played.

What an idiot. The internet's not dead, Prince is just irrelevant. Last I checked, MTV was a multi-billion $$ international brand and corporation. Sure, it is no longer the source for new music (or really any music for that matter), but it is far from dead. And, I am pretty sure the album is already available via the net – he just isn't getting paid for it.

So I guess MTV is okay then... because they make all that money. Who cares if they air things that corrupt our youth... or that they totally deviate from the old concept of Music Television. Yeah you can turn it off if you don't watch it, but it's still there, right? It's still sucking people in with crap like "Jersey Shore," right? Oh, but it's okay.

I agree with Prince. The Internet is a novelty and is leveraged by infants who expect everything to be FREE without regard for compensation to the inventors-artists to support their ability to sustain the ability to keep inventing-creating. Furthermore, the "gold rush" perception that anyone can just set up a web page start earning money has proved broken theory. Therefore, the Internet may remain as an infrastructure for deliverying content, but the content won't be free – and it should not be free UNLESS the creator-inventor is compensated in some form for their work.

The internet in the next 5 – 10 years will transform. The internet is not dead, but on the verge of a new era, like a catterpiller transforming into a butterfly. The next few years are going to be very exciting for the future of the internet.

Prince has always listened to his own rhythm which is one reason I like him. He has experimented with distribution systems in the past and is a good advocate for an artist owning their own destiny. Is he misguided? Maybe. Do I respect his decision to carve out his own path? Yes.

There are myriad reasons for artists to buck against the current digital age and its tendency to take away the power and revenue of an artist and funnel it into the hands of big corporations.

Like most things, time will tell whether or not Prince is making a good decision. I personally support him and appreciate him using his power and influence to be a voice for artistic freedom and integrity.

Obviously anyone commenting here already has their head twisted by the internet (as do I). This may not be profitable, but maybe that is not his aim. Being tied to a computer goes against everything it means to be human & I applaud Prince for his attempts to liberate us from our cyber prisons!

Enlighten us all on how you came to the conclusion that being connected to the internet (not a very intelligent phrase to begin with) "goes against everything it means to be human". I didn't receive my "here's how to be a human" handbook when I was born, I feel ripped off. "Being human" obviously could not be easily or briefly defined, and certainly the development, implementation and use of technology decidedly IS part of humanity, like it or not.

This is THE smartest marketing campaign yet! To say that the internet is dead is ridiculous; however, crazy like a fox! I bet he will have people take notice of his music for saying what he said! It's about marketing!

internet here to stay, however i agree with his complete authority over HIS music.
I think when he said the internet is dead he meant as far as his approach to music goes. surely he is fully aware of the progressive avenues of the internet. but he is right and expect others to join him in this view . i like the free stuff but the bigger picture is that he is totally correct in his judgment on this.

Prince is quite mistaken, after his album is released I will find it on the net for free and probably listen to it. This comment seems crazy until you think of the source I mean he is a scientologist who used to be a jehovah's witness. What do you expect?

I was thinking the same thing about being able to download the music online for free, bobb. At least if he sold it on itunes he'd have a CHANCE of making a buck online. Now he's making nothing, which is exactly what he's been for the past 20 years.

What ? Is he sure he wants to say this? I mean with the multiple advanced degree's he holds in computer science and not to mention his founding work with DARPA he should realize that such statements could result in a premature end to the internet!

I'd like to be incensed, but what he said is just dumb. The internet and the web are less like MTV and more like Cable. Cable isn't dead. Prince is a talented artist, but he's clearly lost touch with how people operate. That comment about computers filling your head with numbers – for a guy who replaced his name with a symbol and routinely puts numbers into the names of his songs – yeah just weird and dumb.

If he's still involved with Jehovah's Witnesses, he's probably just repeating what's been drummed into his head. Interestingly, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society allowed the Jacksons, Prince and the Williams sisters to pursue fame, money, etc...which they vigorously discourage rank & file members from doing. Of course they're getting 10% OR MORE of these peoples' earnings, too. You can be sure that at LEAST 10% of the money Momma Jackson got from Michael's estate went directly to WBTS!

me too Liz.....Prince is smart beyond his years and his musical ability is second to none. He may be premature about his internet predictions but the man can play music and he is great at protecting his intellectual products.

Although I don't agree with Prince claiming the death of the internet theres no one even close to him at being a maverick. He was the 1st artist to start releasing music online via his NPG music club back in the early 2000's & he's already received his $$ up front for this latest release & doesn't spend a dime on distribution. You go boy!

Exactly Jboogie! And the comments on here about him being irrelivant or a washed up 80's pop star are ignorance at it's best they are obviously not Prince fans....Shagger sounds like a miley cyrus fanatic!

Why does every article that is referring to someone of a race other than 'white' get turned into a racist issue? This article and the majority of the posts (all that I've read aside from Bob's comment!) are focusing on the real issue: Whether people support Prince's music distribution ideas and the comments he made during a recent interview. Kudos to the majority of posters here – except Bob – as he obviously had to search to try to find a post to try to twist into something it is not.

Fantastic point. You get it. And if people would actually listen to/mediate on what Prince is saying instead of skimmning over his comments and shooting off rash, ignorant responses, they would get it, too. People's comments in response to what Prince is saying proves your point, R: fill your mind with empty, mindless junk, and empty, mindless junk is what one spews. Today's music, compared to Prince's and other artists of his caliber, needs to be shot into space. It is worthless, uninspired, and mass produced! Meaningful music that "feeds our hearts and souls", as you so eloquently stated, is worth paying for, and artists should be adequately compensated and supported by the music industry and the consumers!

If the internet is so dead- why did he have such a problem keeping up with it? $77 for membership to a site with nothing to offer but three crappy albums? All 3 of which you can get for $4.99 @ Target? Suck it, Prince.

Yeah, I think we'd all love to be paid in advance. What a joke. Just shows how fame goes to people's heads. I am not an artist or a musician but isn't it supposed to be about doing it for the love of it and the fans?

Jeff we all used to have to prepay for music before iTunes, You Tube, etc. It was called an album or a compact disc. Yeah maybe you heard that one hit on the airwaves and wanted to buy it, but guess what? You had to prepay for the entire album first. If you only ended up liking that one song, oh well too bad, sux to be you!

There are a number of cases where the public pays in advance for a product to be created or service rendered. Pay something up-front and you should get a better overall deal. Pay on the backend and pay the max. You pay up-front for concent tickets and I'm sure you love all the pieces performed. Want to pay on the backend, after the concert is over? Gud luck with that one. Music promoters, Itunes, etc. are raking in money for something they didn't create. Itunes et. al. provide a limited service but are the creators of the content getting fair compensation? Something needs to change if music is to "improve".

Prince isn't asking iTunes to pay him in advance of recording or production – he has done that already. He has composed, arranged, performed and produced his music. What he requires of iTunes is to be payed up front for his work, not to simply get the shamefully small royalties they pay out of the profits of selling his work – which cost them nothing to produce.

I do not believe copyright should ever expire in an artist's lifetime. Their work never ceases to be their work, and if it is still entertaining enough for people to buy in fifty years, the artist should still be paid for it then. Don't pirate music. Don't pirate books. That is theft.

I'm not going to discount his comments just yet, because on the whole I think he's smarter than the average bear. BUT, he has to realize that he sounds like my grandpa when he says things like "They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

Man most of the comments show the stupidity of our new gen. The numbers he is talking about are not actual numbers its the 0's and 1's if you had half the brain as him you would know this and for those with less brains still do not get it.

"get a clue," are you surprised? The internet is not dead... but as you've said about these comments it appears critical thinking or thinking of any kind is dead. Short attention spans will do that to ya.

Binary numbers are as real as any other representation of numbers. They just happen to be in base 2 and not base 10 is all. Of course, binary numbers can also be used to represent imaginary (not-real) numbers too, just like base 10 numbers can. 2010 is real, 2010i is not real. And for you EE's, 2010j is not real.
What I find really dead in many of these posts, is the English language.

Wait a minute. You're saying that my mp3 player, which converts DSP to sound wave frequencies and modulation fills my head with 0's and 1's? And you're saying prince is intelligent for a line like that? By that regard a walkman is just as bad for you.

@ Get A Clue - Where do you come up with this? 0's & 1's. I'm a Comp Science major and am betting you have never seen a piece of binary code in your life. I bet your head is really becoming full with those numbers though, huh? Is this you just trying to come up with a way to justify the totally ridiculous remarks made by Prince? I think so. All you people trying to defend him should just face the facts. Just because you like his music does not mean that Prince is not an idiot and completely out of touch with reality. Face it, he is.

Wow I'm amazed at the idiots on here with no clue. If his career was over then how is he still selling millions of records doing it his way. He did the same thing over in Britain and sold it only at target in the states with his last album. He has his own site to releases his music threw and is doing well on it to. The Internet has been dead for years for artist as to what he was pointing out (if you had read the actual article you would know this). I'm amazed what people count as music in the first place now a days anyways, When the song of the year has one line over and over for 90% of the song something is wrong.

@The Bob, It sure is good to see that there are some intelligent people out here. There are so many uninformed idiots out here that can't read and comprehend a simple article. There is a decent post about every forty or so. Your's is a good one! Prince is basically talking about ways to make the most money for his music. But these lame brains took it literally, when he said the internet is dead. One thing for sure is the internet exposes a lot of stupidity!!

Its really too sad about Prince. Although I have never found the noises he makes to be music he should be smart enough to know where his markets are. He says that he does not want his music on the internet but that will kill the vast majority of new customers. Guess he is more interested in being a complete weirdo than being a commercial success. Good luck converting that dead career of yours to something that will survive another 10 years. What a has-been.

@coolpeeps: read the whole article. Unfortunately he's not just talking about the internet as it relates to a music distribution medium...quote: "Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

fwiw, I really like Prince's music (check out Indigo Nights – that CD totally rocks). But he has shown here in this article that he's pretty flaky and off-base on his opinion re the internet.

Yes that last bit was the best. Filling our brains with numbers and math is the worse thing to do. Lets buy all Prince's albinos and spend the rests of our lives listening to him. Numbers, Math and file sharing are the same thing, nasty things!

I fully support limited copyright (ie something closer to 15-30 years), and as this is a new work we should respect this artist's wishes on his distribution and not download it from the internet, which contrary to the article, will have it available for download but not through Prince's distributors.

Don't download it. Don't listen to it. That is the only way that artists such as Prince will see that if they really have control over distribution and they make stupid decisions they are no longer relevant.

To the people: Unfortunately, we can't package what you do, your lifeblood or your essence. If we could, we'd download what you have made and cheat you of your rightful profits. We would share what you've created (which most likely amounts to ZIP) with people whom we don't know. Then we would rail against you for complaining about it.

People are greedy, pathetic little creatures. They think other people should work for free, as long as they get paid.

In addition, Prince has to sell only about one-fifth the amount of albums he had to sell as a major label artist to make the same money. He has all the freedom AND all the money. That makes him a little less stupid and irrelevant, huh?